As part of its Spring Puppet Performance Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will present Hansel and Gretel by the acclaimed National Marionette Theatre. Performances will take place on April 22, 2017 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Ballard Institute Theater located at 1 Royce Circle in Storrs Center.

The story of Hansel and Gretel has captured the imagination of audiences for generations. In their newest production, National Marionette Theatre brings the most famous of the Grimm Brothers’ stories to life. Featuring exquisitely crafted marionettes, scrolling scenery and the beautiful music of Engelbert Humperdinck, Hansel and Gretel is sure to delight audiences of all ages!

National Marionette Theatre is one of the oldest continually running touring marionette theaters in the United States. Founded in 1967, this award-winning company has been entertaining and amazing audiences around the world for almost 50 years. David J. Syrotiak, son of the founder and artistic director of National Marionette Theatre, David Syrotiak, Sr., has dedicated his life to keeping the tradition of marionette performance alive in the United States and has been involved with every National Marionette Theatre production, including Aladdin, Pinocchio, Peter Pan, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast, and many more. David’s son, Stephen A. Syrotiak, has been working behind the scenes with National Marionette Theatre since his early teenage years and made his performing debut in the summer of 2015. Since then he has become an indispensable member of the company.

Ticket Prices: Adults: $12; Members/Seniors $10; Students: $8; Kids: $6 (12 years and under)

Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, by calling 860.486.8580, or online at http://bimp.ticketleap.com/. A surcharge will be added to any purchases made online. Tickets may also be purchased at the Ballard Institute on the day of performance starting at 10 a.m. There will be open seating, and no reservations. For more information about these performances, visit bimp.uconn.edu or call 860.486.8580.

As part of the 2017 Spring Puppet Forum Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will present a discussion with graphic designer and author Bruce Kennett titled W.A. Dwiggins: Puppetry and Graphic Design on Wednesday, March 29, 2017 at 7 p.m. in the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Storrs Center.

While William Addison Dwiggins (1880-1956) has long been recognized in American puppetry as a singularly innovative early 20th-century modernist, he had an equally, if not more, influential career as an illustrator, type designer, calligrapher, and book designer—activities he joined together when he invented the term “graphic design” in 1922. Join Bruce Kennett, author of a forthcoming monograph on Dwiggins, in a fascinating and enlightening discussion of this unique polymath of visual design.

Graphic designer, photographer, and teacher Bruce Kennett has lectured and written about W. A. Dwiggins since 1980. Bruce designs books and exhibition graphics, and makes large photomurals, for clients ranging from the Folger Shakespeare Library to L.L. Bean. His comprehensive biography of Dwiggins will be published this summer.

Admission to this event is free (donations greatly appreciated!), and refreshments will be served. Come early, and experience our puppet exhibitions, as well as the video resources in our library nook. Visitors can park in the Storrs Center Garage located at 33 Royce Circle. Parking in the Storrs Center Garage is free for the first two hours and $1 per hour thereafter, with a daily maximum charge of $8. Forums will be broadcast via Facebook Live. Call 860-486-8580 for more information.

Due to the forecasted winter weather, the Ballard Institute will be closed on Tuesday, March 14. Stay warm!

Due to forecasts of winter weather, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry will be closed on Friday, 3/10.

The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut is pleased to host 100 Birds, a new production written, directed, and designed by UConn Puppet Arts Program undergraduate student John Cody ’17 from April 7 to April 9 in the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry Theater located at 1 Royce Circle in Storrs Center.

A magical and whimsical, if not slightly chaotic, group of birds have flocked to the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry! 100 Birds follows Jada Jones, captain of her middle school’s basketball team, who finds out that her school doesn’t have the money to get the team to their playoff game. The 100 Birds, an intergalactic troupe of feathered friends, come from outer space to help Jada after she wishes upon a shooting star for help. Using their skills as birds and their love of math, the avian crew bands together with Jada to host the biggest fundraiser ever and create the world’s largest pizza! But the nefarious Dr. Allundrious Pepper, who hates birds, is dead set on foiling their plans. Will Jada and the birds make it out alive, giblets and all? Speaking to his creative process, Cody explains “this fantastical, silly dose of positive entertainment came about in the middle of the night, which sounds far more dramatic than it actually was. I came up with the title of 100 Birds, and the next day I came up with three sentence stories that could serve this title … I have found this brainstorming method particularly effective, and it was through these short stories I wrote that the seed of the show’s story was planted.”

John Cody, along with fellow UConn Puppet Arts Program undergraduate student Katayoun Amir-Aslani ’18 weave together rod puppets, hand puppets, string puppets, and more into an experience that both adults and children will love, with a focus on comedy and positivity. “I think children are far smarter than adults give them credit, and I have developed 100 Birds with that in mind. 100 Birds is not a show that I am making for children, but rather is something that I, as a young adult, would like to see, with audiences young and old taken into account when it comes to the exact vocabulary of the show,” states Cody. This show is made possible by UConn’s IDEA Grant, which provides funding for independent projects by undergraduate students.

John Cody is a New York-based puppeteer who will be graduating with a BFA in Puppet Arts this May. Deciding he wanted to be a puppeteer before the age of five, John has since worked on many projects of all different kinds, from marionettes to hand puppets to giant character costumes. He has had the tremendous opportunity to learn and work alongside some of the folks behind The Muppets, Sesame Street, and Bear in the Big Blue House.

Performances of 100 Birds will take place in the Ballard Institute Theater according to the following schedule:

April 7             7:30 p.m.

April 8             2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

April 9             2:00 p.m. & 7:30 p.m.

Admission is free. Due to limited seating, tickets must be reserved at the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, by calling 860-486-8580, or online at http://bimp.ticketleap.com/. This show is recommended for ages 6 and up. For more information about this production, visit bimp.uconn.edu or call 860-486-8580.