The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will host its 2020 Spring Puppet Performance Series on four Saturdays from February to May 2020, featuring outstanding works of puppet theater by professional puppeteers from across New England and beyond. Each show will be performed twice, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. All performances will take place at the Ballard Institute Theater located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs. 

The schedule of the Spring Puppet Performance Series includes the following:

Feb. 29: Paul Vincent Davis’s Raccoon Tales performed by Brad Shur of Paper Heart Puppets

The animals in the forest are always getting into trouble playing tricks on each other. Will they learn their lessons? This hand-puppet show by famed Boston puppeteer Paul Vincent Davis includes three humorous tales inspired by Native American stories of the Seneca Tribe: How the Fox and the Raccoon Trick Each Other; Why the Blue Jay is Blue and the Gray Wolf Isn’t; and Why the Bear has a Stumpy Tail. This show is 45 minutes long and is recommended for ages 4+. Presented in conjunction with the grand opening of two new exhibits, including Paul Vincent Davis and the Art of Puppet Theater, on Feb. 29 at noon! 

CANCELLED: March 14: She Thinks She’s Queen Elizabeth But She’s Dirty Gerts To Me by PuppetKabob

Have you ever heard the phrase: “She thinks she’s Queen Elizabeth, but she’s Dirty Gerts to me!”? No? Well now that you have, come and explore the story behind the saying in PuppetKabob’s latest pop-up creation Dirty Gerts—a show about growing pains. Made entirely out of repurposed paper products! This show is 50 minutes long and is recommended for ages 5+. 

CANCELLED: April 18: Mr. Cuddles is Missing created by Faye Dupras, with music by Max Weigert 

Have you seen Mr. Cuddles? Join the friends at Cozy Corner as they search hither and thither for Rory’s missing lovie and best friend, Mr. Cuddles. In this family-friendly show audiences are invited into an interactive magical world full of eclectic neighborhood friends, delightful puppet pals, and live movement-based music. This show is 45 minutes long and is recommended for ages 3+.

CANCELLED: May 2: Kitty’s Corner and Other Stories by Dirk Joseph and String Theory Theater

Kitty’s Corner and Other Stories is a puppet show featuring several short vignettes which are sure to delight the entire family. Audiences will be treated to a variety of puppetry formats including marionettes, hand and rod puppets, shadow puppetry, and crankies performed by Dirk and Azaria of Baltimore’s String Theory Theater. This show is 40 minutes long and is recommended for ages 3+.

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 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 or if you require an accommodation to attend an event, please contact Ballard Institute staff at 860-486-8580 or bimp@uconn.edu.

Both the 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. performances of Peter and the Wolf by National Marionette Theatre on Saturday, December 7 are sold out. Check back soon for our Spring Puppet Performance Series lineup!

For its last installment of the 2019 Fall Puppet Forum Series, and in conjunction with the exhibit Immaterial Remains: Can You Preserve a Shadow? curated by Dr. Annie Katsura Rollins, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will host Chasing Ghosts: Ten Years with the Shadow Puppeteers of China with Dr. Rollins on Thursday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. at the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs. 

Dr. Rollins embarked on an initial research trip to China in 2008 to reconnect with her Chinese heritage, to gain unique shadow puppetry skills and techniques, and to eat some incredible food for the duration of that summer apprenticeship. What she left with at the end of the summer was an insatiable need to understand how this material performance form had been passed down for over a thousand years and what it means to steward transmitted heritage through performance and shadows. This talk reflects on over a decade of apprenticeship and research with the traditional shadow puppeteers of China and the importance and (im)possibilities of chasing our own ghosts. Co-sponsored by UConn’s Asian and Asian American Studies Institute and the UConn Asian American Cultural Center.

Dr. Rollins is a researcher, theatre artist, and practitioner of Chinese shadow puppetry, studying as a traditional apprentice since 2008. Rollins has received a Fulbright Fellowship, the Confucius Institute Joint PhD Research Fellowship and a Canadian SSHRC Doctoral Fellowship for her research. She wrote her dissertation in Concordia University’s Interdisciplinary Humanities PhD program on the transmission of traditional Chinese shadow puppet making methods. Recent venues for exhibitions, lectures and performances include the Art Institute of Chicago, the Montreal Botanical Gardens, the Center for Puppetry Arts in Atlanta, the Virginia Fine Arts Museum, the Linden Center in Yunnan, China, and the Rietveld Academie in the Netherlands. Annie has published articles in Puppetry International, Asian Theatre Journal and Anthropology Now. Rollins recently launched the first English language comprehensive Chinese shadow puppetry site at chineseshadowpuppetry.com.

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. Forums will be broadcast via Facebook Live. For more information or if you require an accommodation to attend a forum, please contact Ballard Institute staff at 860.486.8580 or bimp@uconn.edu. 

As part of its 2019 Fall Puppet Performance Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut is pleased to present Peter and the Wolf by National Marionette Theatre on Saturday, Dec. 7 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs. This performance will be a part of Downtown Storrs’ 7th-annual Winter Welcome celebration.

Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf has enchanted audiences since its premier in 1936. Based on the original Russian folktale, National Marionette Theatre’s version of the story features the beautiful music from Prokofiev’s orchestral score combined with stunning scenery and hand-crafted marionettes. Set in turn-of-the-century Russia, the production tells the story of how Peter—along with his animal friends—captures the wolf. This show is 50 minutes long and is recommended for 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 over forty years. The company specializes in adaptations of popular stories using marionettes as the performance medium. They travel with a fully self-contained theater complete with its own lighting and sound systems. The shows are suitable for family audiences of all ages. 

David J. Syrotiak has been building and performing with the company since his teenage years. As the son of artistic director David Syrotiak Sr., he has been around puppetry all his life. Professionally, David is celebrating his 33rd year as a touring puppeteer. He is dedicated to keeping the tradition of professional puppetry alive in the United States.

Mariana Palade Syrotiak’s relationship with puppetry began in 1987 in her native Romania. She entered the field professionally in 1990 when she was admitted to the Theatre and Film Academy in Bucharest, Romania, from which she graduated in 1994 with a BA in Performing Arts specializing in puppetry. In 1994 she met David Jr. in Charleville-Mézières, France at an international puppetry festival where they both were performing. In 1995 she met David Sr. in Saarbrucken, Germany under the same circumstances. In 1996 she joined both the National Marionette Theatre as well as the Syrotiak family. Currently Mariana is director of the English as a Second Language program at Gannon University. Mariana is equally passionate and committed to the arts, culture, and education. 

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 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 or if you require an accommodation to attend this event, please contact Ballard Institute staff at 860-486-8580 or bimp@uconn.edu.

The Ballard Institute’s presentation of Peter and the Wolf is a part of the 7th-annual Winter Welcome in Downtown Storrs. The Mansfield Downtown Partnership invites you to celebrate the start of the season with music and more! Enjoy a variety of fun activities, check some names off your shopping list, and join in a community sing-along! For more information, visit downtownstorrs.org/winterwelcome.

As part of its 2019 Fall Puppet Performance Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut is pleased to present Holiday Punch! by Modern Times Theater on Saturday, Nov. 16 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs.

Punch and Judy are almost ready to celebrate Thanksgiving. They’ve got the stuffing, the sweet potatoes, and the cranberry sauce. The only thing they are missing is the turkey. Audiences will split their sides laughing as Mr. Punch tries to catch the main dish, while avoiding crocodiles, his badly-behaved baby and his dog Toby (who looks suspiciously like a skunk). The skillfully-operated hand puppets are chock-full of surprises and tricks, as is the elaborate stage. The show is rounded out with live music played on a variety of instruments, from the ukulele to the bicycle pump. This show is 45 minutes long and is recommended for all ages.

Modern Times Theater has been adapting and updating Punch and Judy shows for over a decade. Co-founders Rose Friedman and Justin Lander are a husband and wife duo, and alumni of the Bread and Puppet Theater. Parents themselves, they strive to present quality entertainment that the whole family can enjoy.

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 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 or if you require an accommodation to attend this event, please contact Ballard Institute staff at 860-486-8580 or bimp@uconn.edu.

For its third installment of the 2019 Fall Puppet Forum Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will host “Macy’s, Tony Sarg, and the Invention of Inflatable Puppets” with Robert Grippo, Christopher Hoskins, and John Bell, moderated by UConn School of Engineering Professor Mehdi Anwar on Thursday, Nov. 21, 2019 at 7 p.m. at the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs. 

Robert Grippo and Christopher Hoskins, authors of Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade will join UConn School of Engineering Professor Mehdi Anwar and Ballard Institute Director John Bell in a discussion of the ground-breaking invention of inflatable puppets for the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parades by puppeteer Tony Sarg and engineers from the Goodyear Rubber Company in the 1920s. This event is co-sponsored by the UConn School of Engineering.

Robert M. Grippo, a frequent participant in the parade, has been researching the history of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade for many years. Driven by his passion for the event, he compiled this work with the help of Christopher Hoskins, a professional photographer, and the special assistance of Macy’s Annual Events, the New York Daily News, the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, and the University of Akron.

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. Forums will be broadcast via Facebook Live. For more information or if you require an accommodation to attend a forum, please contact Ballard Institute staff at 860.486.8580 or bimp@uconn.edu. 

As part of its 2019 Fall Puppet Performance Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut is pleased to present The Three Little Pigs Build a Better House by Crabgrass Puppet Theatre on Oct. 26, 2019 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs. In celebration of Trick-or-Treat in Downtown Storrs from 3-5 p.m., show attendees are invited to dress in their Halloween costumes and participate in a post-performance Halloween parade in the theater.

In Crabgrass Puppet Theatre’s new version of this old tale, the three little pigs have a problem: they’ve outgrown their home and need three new houses, one for each pig. However, they suspect their architect, B. B. Wolfe, might have ulterior motives, and in fact, might want to eat them! Crabgrass Puppet Theatre delivers a delightful and hilarious new take on an old tale, featuring beautiful puppetry, lively music and three adorable pigs. This rod puppet show is 45 minutes long and is recommended for ages 4+.

UConn Puppet Arts alumni Jamie Keithline and Bonny Hall formed Crabgrass Puppet Theatre in San Francisco in 1982 and have delighted audiences across the nation with their whimsical humor and puppetry ever since. Their performing venues have included the Detroit Institute of Art, the Smithsonian Institution, Paper Mill Playhouse, Tribeca Performing Arts Center, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. They have been awarded two Citations of Excellence from UNIMA-USA, the highest puppetry award in the United States; and in 2009, Bonny was awarded a Design Commendation from the Arlyn Award Foundation. Their production of The Pirate, the Princess and the Pea was awarded “Best Performance” at the 2015 National Puppetry Festival.

In celebration of Trick-or-Treat in Downtown Storrs from 3-5 p.m., show attendees are invited to dress in their Halloween costumes and participate in a post-performance Halloween parade in the theater. From 3-5 p.m., visitors can trick-or-treat at participating businesses (including the Ballard Institute!) in Downtown Storrs. For more information about Trick-or-Treat in Downtown Storrs visit: mansfieldct.gov/Halloween. Plus all show attendees will get a coupon for a free treat from MOOYAH!

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 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 or if you require an accommodation to attend this event, please contact Ballard Institute staff at 860-486-8580 or bimp@uconn.edu.