Month: April 2025

Peter Rabbit by Pumpernickel Puppets on 4/26

As part of its 2025 Spring Puppet Performance Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut is pleased to welcome John McDonough’s Worcester, Massachusetts-based Pumpernickel Puppets to perform their production of Peter Rabbit on Saturday, April 26, 2025 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs.  

Pumpernickel Puppets presents a lively adaptation of Beatrix Potter’s well-loved tale. Join adventurous and naughty Peter Rabbit, who against his mother’s wishes ventures into Mr. McGregor’s garden for a taste of his favorite vegetable treats. He nearly escapes being made into rabbit stew with the help of his tag-along little sister Flopsy. This colorful and fun production is presented with large hand puppets, live voices and sound effects. Recommended for ages 3+. Runtime is approximately 40 minutes.   

Pumpernickel Puppets, led by John McDonough, has been producing humorous and colorful adaptations of classic folk and fairy tales for over forty years. They present over two hundred fifty shows a year throughout New England. Pumpernickel Puppets have appeared at The Smithsonian Institution, the Center for Puppetry Arts, the International Festival of Puppetry sponsored by the Jim Henson Foundation, and were featured in the Ballard Institute’s 2019 exhibition Living Objects: African American Puppetry. Get tickets: https://secure.touchnet.com/C21646_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=5878 

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

Special Event! Performance of Erben: Vlasy by Hza Bažant followed by a Forum on 4/23

Wednesday, 4/23 | 7 p.m.

Ballard Institute Theater

FREE | Reservations recommended

Join us for a special combination performance and post-show discussion with celebrated Czech puppeteer, graphic artist, set designer and cartoonist Jan Bažant, who, as a member of Prague’s Hura Collective, will perform Erben: Vlasy, a shad  ow-puppet production based on the dark fairy tales of 19th-century Czech folklorist K. J. Erben. The performance will be followed by a Puppet Forum with Jan about the ways his work in design, graphic arts, and comics influences his puppetry. Erben: Vlasy is an adult-oriented shadow production about King who loves to hunt in the forest, but falls prey to evil deeds, which lead him to a dark destiny. Jan Bažant is the author of numerous graphic novels, some of which he has transformed into theater productions. He has won numerous awards for his graphic art and scenography, and is the director of Echt Street Puppets, a giant puppet troupe that performs in Europe and Asia.  

Admission to this event is free (donations greatly appreciated!), but seating reservations are required. For more information or if you require accommodation to attend a forum, please contact Ballard Institute staff at 860.486.8580 or bimp@uconn.edu.  

Reserve your free tickets: https://secure.touchnet.com/C21646_ustores/web/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCTID=5957