The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will present its first-ever Banners and Cranks Mini-Festival on April 14 and 15, 2017 in conjunction with its current exhibit Banners and Cranks: Paintings and Scrolls in Performance. The Banners and Cranks Mini-Festival will present cranky and cantastoria performances created by puppeteers, musicians, and artists from throughout the Northeast, with productions geared for adult audiences on Friday, April 14 at 7 p.m. and family-friendly shows on Saturday, April 15 at 2 p.m. All events will take place at the Ballard Institute, located at 1 Royce Circle in Storrs Center. “The Banners and Cranks Mini-Festival,” Ballard Institute Director John Bell said, “is an exciting new addition to our performance programming, and we are very happy to bring these shows to Storrs Center.”
On Friday, April 14 starting at 7 p.m. performances will include Dave Buchen’s Three Mythological Metaphors for Donald Trump; Lattimer by Felice Amato; Feed by Anna Patton; Rose Friedman and Justin Lander of Modern Times Theater performing Pickle and Gas Pump; Jason Hicks and Lily Paulina of Semi Upright Theater Company performing A Page from Woody Guthrie’s Notebook and Three Pages of Therapy for Our Current Situation; Tosca by Better Than Never Theater Company’s Sam Wilson and Joe Therrien; Ballard Institute Director John Bell of Great Small Works performing Ode to Common Things; Neighbors by Meredith Holch; Daniel’s Story by UConn Puppet Arts Program MFA student Shane McNeal; and Secret Shortcut and Police Log by Clare Dolan and Erica Heilman. These performances are geared for adult audiences.
Family-friendly shows will be presented on Saturday, April 15 starting at 2 p.m. and will feature Dave Buchen performing The True Story of Vlad the Structuralist; Stupendous Superlatives by Gregory Corbino; Felice Amato performing Underground; Banana Split for My Baby by Rose Friedman and Justin Lander of Modern Times Theater; Great Small Works’ Ode to Common Things; Pickled Paula by Meredith Holch; Secret Shortcut by Clare Dolan and Erica Heilman; and the premiere of a new work by Semi-Upright Theater Company (Jason Hicks and Lily Paulina).
Ticket prices for each day: Adults: $12; Members/Seniors $10; Students: $8; Kids: $6 (12 years and under).
Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Ballard Institute, by calling 860.486.8580, or online at http://bimp.ticketleap.com/. A surcharge will be added to any purchases made online. There will be open seating and no reservations. 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. For more information about this festival, visit bimp.uconn.edu or call 860.486.8580.