Month: February 2024

2024 UConn Spring Puppet Slam on 3/22

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The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry and the UConn Puppet Arts Program will present the 2024 UConn Spring Puppet Slam on Friday, March 22, 2024 at 8 p.m. in UConn’s von der Mehden Recital Hall, located at 875 Coventry Rd, Storrs, Connecticut 06269. The UConn Spring Puppet Slam will feature new and experimental short works by professional puppeteers and performers from around the Northeast, including UConn Puppet Arts alumna Stoph Scheer and the Stringpullers Puppet Company from Ithaca, New York, as well as new works by UConn Puppet Arts students; music by Derek Waldron, Teresa Bielecki and other musicians from Waldron’s Studios 88; and the coveted BIMPY Awards.

UConn Puppet Arts alumna Stoph Scheer will present Sharing Update, a comedic hand-and-rod puppet monologue in which an aging Long Island father processes his child’s trans identity through his limited vocabulary. The Ithaca, New York based Stringpullers Puppet Company (Linda Wingerter and Evgeni Nudelman) will perform a sock-puppet romantic comedy, Galaxy Laundromat. The UConn Spring Puppet Slam will also feature new works by graduate and undergraduate students from the UConn Puppet Arts Program, as well as the coveted annual BIMPY awards for puppetry excellence. Funding for the UConn Spring Puppet Slam is made possible, in part, by the Puppet Slam Network. These performances are recommended for mature audiences.

The UConn Spring Puppet Slam is free and open to the public; donations are greatly appreciated. Seating is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. The event will take place in UConn’s von der Mehden Recital Hall, located at 875 Coventry Rd, Storrs, Conn. For directions to the von der Mehden Recital Hall, visit vdm.uconn.edu. For more information about these performances or if you require accommodation to attend this event, please contact Ballard Institute staff at 860-486-8580 or bimp@uconn.edu.

Little Red Ridinghood by A Couple of Puppets on 2/24!

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Children squeal with delight throughout this traditional tale with a twist performed by Liz Joyce of A Couple of Puppets. Find out what happens when Little Red gets mixed up with Porquoi the pig, who is in the wrong story. Complete with changing scenery, music and charming hand puppets, this show will have audiences ratting on the wolf and cheering Little Red to safety. Recommended for ages 2+. The show runtime is approximately 40 minutes, followed by a Q&A session with the artist.

Liz Joyce of A Couple of Puppets writes, creates, and performs a growing repertoire of works for young audiences and their adults. Subjects include her twists on traditional fairy tales, folktales, educational shows, and original creations. Liz believes that puppetry is the gateway to theater and that this art form breathes beauty and life into storytelling. Trained as a fine artist, Liz is also a certified K-12 Art Education teacher. Since 2001, Liz has hosted many talented puppeteers at Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre in Sag Harbor, NY which she founded and serves as artistic director.  She recently served on the Board of Directors of the Jim Henson Foundation, and currently serves as President of the Puppeteers of America. Learn more and purchase tickets: bimp.ticketleap.com/ridinghood

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 the 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. For more information about these performances or if you require accommodation to attend this event, please contact Ballard Institute staff at 860-486-8580 or bimp@uconn.edu.