As part of its 2018 Spring Puppet Performance Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will present a special international performance of Plastic by Montreal’s Puzzle Theatre on Saturday, Feb. 24, 2018 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Storrs Center.

What is more surprising than a plastic-bag world, where funny and colorful creatures are born and transform themselves as much as they like? In Puzzle Theatre’s Plastic, plastic bags fill themselves, empty themselves, fly, eat each other, are bored—in other words, they exist! Step by step they reveal their nature: they are primitive, naïve, and funny, and they resemble us a little bit… maybe… Remaining faithful to their artistic roots, Puzzle Theatre offers an original, multicolored performance with unusual puppets created on the spot with plastic bags, filled humor and unexpected situations. The show, created and performed by Pavla Mano and Csaba Raduly with music by Petya Nedeva, is 40 minutes long and recommended for ages 5+.

Created in Bulgaria in 1996, and based in Montreal since 2004, Puzzle Theatre has developed a unique style that mixes various genres. Combining objects, puppets and actors, Puzzle Theatre works with a colorful amalgam of styles and widely diverse means of expression. The company includes artistic director Pavla Mano; actor and creator Csaba Raduly; and set and costume designer Ivan Stavrev.

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 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. 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 these performances, visit bimp.uconn.edu or call 860-486-8580.

As part of the 2018 Spring Puppet Forum Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will present a discussion with Steve Abrams, John Bell, and Bart. P. Roccoberton, Jr. entitled American Puppet Modernism: The Early 20th Century on Thursday, March 1, 2018 at 7 p.m. in the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Storrs Center.

Puppetry Journal editor Steve Abrams, UConn Puppet Arts Program Director Bart. P. Roccoberton, Jr., and Ballard Institute Director John Bell discuss the fascinating discoveries and innovations of early 20th-century puppetry in the U.S., from cross-country touring shows to inflatable puppets and avant-garde operas. This forum is presented in conjunction with the Ballard Institute exhibition American Puppet Modernism: The Early 20th Century, which will be on display from Feb. 22 – July 1, 2018.

Steve Abrams became Editor of Puppetry Journal in 2016 after 16 years as Associate Editor, and is also the North American Editor of the World Encyclopedia of Puppetry Arts. Abrams has served as the President of Puppeteers of America, and was a delegate to the 20th international puppetry congress in Perth, Australia. He is a recipient of the George Latshaw Award for writing about puppetry. 

Bart. P. Roccoberton, Jr. is the Director of the University of Connecticut’s Puppet Arts Program, a unique offering in the United States, granting BFA, MA, and MFA degrees in the Art of Puppetry. His professional projects include work in film, television and the stage, including Broadway. He serves the National Puppetry Conference at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center as Director of Production. Roccoberton is recognized internationally as an advocate for the puppet arts in the United States.

John Bell is Director of the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry and an Associate Professor of Dramatic Arts at the University of Connecticut. He is a founding member of Great Small Works theater company, and was a member of the Bread and Puppet Theater from 1975 to 1985. He earned his Ph.D. in theater history from Columbia University in 1993. Bell is the author of American Puppet Modernism (2008); edited Puppets, Masks, and Performing Objects (2001); and co-edited The Routledge Companion to Puppetry and Material Performance (2014). He has been a contributing editor of Puppetry International since 1994.

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. This forum will be broadcast via Facebook Live. Call 860-486-8580 for more information or visit bimp.uconn.edu.

From February 12-21, 2018, Ballard Institute staff will be installing our new exhibition American Puppet Modernism: The Early 20th Century.  While the main galleries at the Ballard Institute will be closed during this process, the museum will remain open during normal business hours, and The World of Puppetry: From the Collections of the Ballard Institute will be on display in the lobby.

We  invite you to join us for the grand opening of American Puppet Modernism on February 22 at 6 p.m. at the Ballard Institute. The opening events will include refreshments and a free tour by Ballard Institute Director John Bell.