Author: Wicks, Emily

“The Work That Follows: 50 Years of UConn Puppeteers,” July 11-November 1, 2015

Posted on by
From Hua Hua Zhang's "Who Are You?" Photograph by Bill Hebert.
From Hua Hua Zhang’s “Who Are You?” Photograph by Bill Hebert.

The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry  presents its new exhibition The Work That Follows: 50 Years of UConn Puppeteers at the Ballard Institute, located at 1 Royce Circle in Storrs, Connecticut.

For 50 years, puppeteers have passed through UConn’s unique Puppet Arts Program to study the skills and techniques of imagining, designing, building, and performing new works for puppetry. Though the basic skills of puppetry taught at UConn are perpetually consistent, the work that follows graduation is specific to the hands that created it. The Work That Follows, curated by Anna Fitzgerald (MFA ’14), highlights the work of Puppet Arts Program alumni, and how these puppet artists have incorporated their own distinctive perspective with skills learned at UConn. The exhibition features puppets and objects created for live performance, film, and video; as well as photographs and video documentation of performances. The exhibition will be on display through November 1, 2015.

2015 Summertime Saturday Puppet Show Series!

Posted on by

The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will once more present its popular Summertime Saturday Puppet Shows for family audiences on six Saturdays, June 20-August 1, 2015. Each show will be performed twice, at 1 and 3 p.m. All performances will take place at the Ballard Institute Theater located at 1 Royce Circle, Storrs CT.

The schedule of Summertime Saturday Puppet Shows includes the following:

June 20 – “A Journey Around the World” by Ants in Your Pants: Anthony the Ant discovers puppet stories and traditions of the globe. Ana Craciun and Kalob Martinez, MFA students in the UConn Puppet Arts Program, present an entertaining and informative performance for globetrotters of all ages.

June 27 – “The Krista and Anders Variety Show” by Krista Weltner and Anders Nerheim: Live music, marionettes, hand puppets, toy theater, and much, much more! Featured pieces include The House That Jack Built, Mr. Sandman, and A Coming of Fang Tale. 

July 11 – “The Nature of Nature” by Anna Fitzgerald and Gavin Cummins: Join current and future UConn Puppet Arts alumni Anna Fitzgerald and Gavin Cummins as they take you on adventures in and about the natural world around us. Some stories are true and some stories are not; bring your imagination and discover which is which.

July 18 – “Hotel Molière” by Sarah Nolen: Hotel Molière is a cockroach hotel murder mystery told in the style of a ridiculous noir shadow show. Detective Agent Gray of Chicago follows the leads to learn what led to the untimely murder of a leading lady roach, Roachel.

July 25 – “Aladdin” by Stevens Puppets: From the pages of The Arabian Nights comes the timeless story of Aladdin!  This Middle Eastern folktale comes alive with the help of Martin Stevens’ hand-crafted marionettes.  Join us for a rare visit to the East Coast by this famed Indiana-based marionette company.

August 1 – “Superheroes, Villains, and Spaceships, Oh My!” by Anatar Marmol-Gagne: A fantastical tale of superheroes, villains, wizards, monsters and space.

Admission is $5 for children, $7 for adults.

 Tickets will be sold in advance through the Connecticut Repertory Theatre Box Office, located in the lobby of the Nafe Katter Theatre at 820 Bolton Rd, Storrs CT 06269. Tickets may be purchased in person at the box office, by calling (860) 486-2113, or online through the CRT website. A $3.00 surcharge will be added to any purchases made online or over the phone. The CRT Box Office is open Monday through Friday, 12-5 p.m. Tickets may also be purchased at the Ballard Institute on the day of performance. There will be a limited number of seats. For more information, call (860) 486-8580 or email bimp@uconn.edu.

Toy Theater Workshop, Saturday, April 25, 1-5 p.m.

Posted on by

 

IMG_8343The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry presents a one-day toy theater workshop for all ages led by Toy Theater Professor Dr. John Bell on April 25 from 1-5 p.m. Create the grandest of tales with the simplest of means!

Toy theater is the 200-year-old invention of flat, cut-out, table-top puppet shows that kids, adults, and families can create and perform by themselves. Recently re-discovered by artists, performers, and puppeteers as a brilliant means of creating do-it-yourself or professional puppet shows, toy theater has experienced a glorious 21st-century revival.

Join us at the Ballard Institute for this public workshop in toy theater creation, building, and performance. Learn about the history and construction of toy theater stages and puppets, and then create your own personal story – in a box!

Workshop cost: $15/person

There is a limited number of seats, so pre-registration is required. Please contact Emily Wicks, Ballard Institute Program Assistant, at emily.wicks@uconn.edu or 860.486.8585 to register.

 

“Reed + Light: Works by Anne Cubberly” and “Masters of the Marionette: Rufus and Margo Rose,” March 7-June 28, 2015

Posted on by

The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will present the grand opening of two new exhibitions: Reed + Light: Works by Anne Cubberly, and Masters of the Marionette: Rufus and Margo Rose, on Saturday, March 7 at 2 p.m. at the Ballard Institute in Storrs Center.  The opening events will include a tour of Reed + Light by curator and artist Anne Cubberly and a demonstration of Rose marionettes by puppeteer Fred Thompson.

In Reed + Light, acclaimed Hartford visual artist and spectacle creator Anne Cubberly presents some of her trademark giant puppets and costumes representing the strong, the fragile, and the temporary. In this installation Cubberly shows how—with reed, paper, fabric, and repurposed materials—she works on life-size and giant scales to create the honesty of a sketch.

Guest curator Fred Thompson and UConn Art History student Hannah Kennedy present the work of Connecticut’s most famed puppeteers of the 20th century, Rufus and Margo Rose, in the new exhibition Masters of the Marionette. Spanning the decades between their early cross-country tours of the 1920s and the newer technologies of film and television, this exhibition traces the path of these pioneers of American puppetry.

Both exhibitions will be on display through June 28, 2015.

In conjunction with the opening celebration, both Anne Cubberly and Fred Thompson will participate in the Ballard Institute’s Spring Puppet Forum Series. On Wednesday, March 11 at 7 p.m., Cubberly will lead a presentation titled Making Art with Your Community, in which she will talk about her extensive work in the Hartford area, and its focus on creativity, process, community, and re-purposed materials. On Wednesday, April 8 at 7 p.m., celebrated puppeteer and teacher Fred Thompson will illuminate the Masters of the Marionette exhibition by describing his own work with puppeteers Rufus and Margo Rose. These events are free and open to the public.

2015 Spring Puppet Forum Series

Posted on by

2015 Spring Puppet Forum Series

Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. (note new time)

Ballard Institute Theater at Storrs Center

ADalanginSearchofWayangCohen

Wednesday, February 11: Matthew Cohen, “Playing with Shadows in the Dark”

Scholar and puppeteer Matthew Cohen, an expert historian and performer of Javanese wayang golek rod puppet theater and other forms, talks about his research and performance work.  Co-sponsored by the Asian and Asian American Studies Institute.

lantern%20headsWednesday, March 11: Anne Cubberly, “Making Art with Your Community”

Acclaimed Hartford visual artist and spectacle-maker Anne Cubberly, voted “Best Artist” in a 2014 Hartford Magazine poll, talks about her extensive work in Hartford, always with a focus on creativity, process, community, and re-purposed materials.

MargoRoseSculpting-BallardInstitute

Wednesday, April 8: Fred Thompson, “Masters of the Marionette: Rufus and Margo Rose”

Puppeteer and teacher Fred Thompson, a mainstay of the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Puppetry Conference, first saw Rufus and Margo Rose perform in 1947, and has had a long and illustrious career in Connecticut as a teacher and maker of dance, theater, and puppetry.

_MG_2178Wednesday, April 15: Hua Hua Zhang, “My Work in Chinese and American Puppetry”

UConn Puppet Arts alumna Hua Hua Zhang first studied classic Chinese puppetry techniques at the Beijing Art Academy in her home city. After receiving many awards for her performances as a member of the China Puppet Arts Troupe, she came to UConn’s Puppet Arts Program, earning her MFA degree in 2000. Currently the director of the Philadelphia-based company Visual Expressions, she designs and performs her own work in the U.S. and China, collaborates with such artists as composer Tan Dun.  Co-sponsored by the Asian and Asian American Studies Institute.

Admission to these events is free (donations greatly appreciated!), and refreshments will be served. Forums will also be live-streamed on our page: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/forum-live-stream. For more information, call 860.486.8580 or email bimp@uconn.edu.

2015 Spring Puppet Performance Series

Posted on by

Afternoon shows for family audiences!

The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will host its Spring Puppet Performance Series on four Saturdays from February to May 2015, featuring outstanding works for puppet theater by professional puppeteers. There will be two showings of each production, at 1:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m., in the Ballard Institute Theater located at 1 Royce Circle in Storrs Center. Productions and dates include:

elephant_turtleFebruary 21: The Lion and the Mouse and Other Tales by Crabgrass Puppet Theatre.

With beautiful puppets and scenery, and their signature hilarious style, the award-winning Crabgrass Puppet Theatre presents tales from Africa, Asia and Europe that will inspire and enthrall children of all sizes.

linderpix-4456March 14: Squirrel Stole My Underpants by They Gotta Be Secret Agents.

A lonely, awkward girl is sent out to the backyard to hang up the laundry and keep herself busy. The moment Sylvie’s back is turned, a mischievous squirrel appears, steals her favorite piece of clothing and runs off. When the girl gives chase, she finds herself lost in strange lands. As the story unfolds, an entire world emerges from her laundry basket and Sylvie learns that she is a strong girl with magic within herself. 

Sheep HandpuppetsApril 11: Hao Bang Ah, Sheep! by Chinese Theatre Works.

Co-sponsored by the Asian and Asian American Studies Institute. This variety-style program directed by Kuang-Yu Fong and Stephen Kaplin, features a jolly selection of hand-puppet vignettes, many based on popular songs and well-known Chinese sayings. While some parts of the program are performed in Chinese, all include English translations and explanations. The audience will be introduced to other animals of the Chinese zodiac, and also learn about Chinese New Year customs and foods. Audience participation makes this Chinese culture and language-learning experience accessible to even the youngest audience member.

ADalanginSearchofWayangCohenMay 2: Arjuna’s Meditation by Matthew Cohen, with Gamelan Si Betty, directed by Jody Diamond.

Co-sponsored by the Asian and Asian American Studies Institute. Renowned scholar and Javanese wayang kulit shadow puppet performer Matthew Cohen is joined by Harvard University’s Gamelan Si Betty, directed by Jody Diamond, to present a classic Javanese puppet play about one of the great heroes of the Hindu epic The Mahabharata.

Ticket Prices: Adults: $10; Students: $7; Kids: $5

Tickets will be sold in advance through the Connecticut Repertory Theatre Box Office located in the lobby of the Nafe Katter Theatre at 820 Bolton Rd, Storrs CT 06269. Tickets may be purchased in person at the box office, by calling (860) 486-2113, or online through the CRT website. A $3.00 surcharge will be added to any purchases made online or over the phone. Tickets may be purchased at the Ballard Institute on the days of performances. There will be a limited number of seats. For more information about these shows, call (860) 486-8580.

2015 UConn Winter Puppet Slam, Friday, February 6 at 8 p.m.

Posted on by
James Godwin in performance. Photograph by Jim Moore.

James Godwin in performance. Photograph by Jim Moore.

The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry and the UConn Puppet Arts Program will present the 2015 UConn Winter Puppet Slam on Friday, February 6 at 8:00 p.m. in the Dramatic Arts Department’s Studio Theatre. The UConn Winter Puppet Slam will feature short works by professional puppeteers, including famed New York City performer James Godwin, and the Semi-Upright Puppet Theater (UConn Puppet Arts graduate Joe Therrien and Bread & Puppet Theater veteran Jason Hicks), as well as new works by talented students from UConn’s Puppet Arts, Digital Media & Design, and Art Programs. The UConn Winter Puppet Slam is supported by a generous grant from the Puppet Slam Network.

James Godwin is renowned in New York’s prolific downtown performance scene, writing and performing in such popular productions as Uncle Jimmy’s Dirty Basement; but also works regularly with the Muppets, Julie Taymor, and such musical acts as David Bowie and Aerosmith. At the UConn Winter Puppet Slam Godwin will present Rooty, the story of a lonely plant who finds itself in a battle to save his sanity in the face of solitary confinement; and Simulation Theory, a poetic visual narrative that explores identity, reality and possession in the American workplace. Jason Hicks and Joe Therrien’s Semi-Upright Puppet Theater, also based in New York City, will return to UConn with their own lively brand of activist “cheap art” puppetry that brings the iconoclastic spirit of Punch and Judy into the 21st century with such popular favorites as their super-hero serial Weasel. In addition to new works by UConn’s acclaimed Puppet Arts Program students, the UConn Winter Puppet Slam will also feature new works for film animation by Art and Digital Media students.

The Puppet Slam movement is a nation-wide flowering of short puppet productions for adult audiences, encouraged by the Puppet Slam Network created by Heather Henson and Marsian De Lellis. UConn Puppet Slams have been taking place since 2008, thanks to the generous support of the Puppet Slam Network.

The UConn Winter Puppet Slam is free and open to the public; donations are greatly appreciated. The event will take place in the Studio Theatre located at 820 Bolton Rd, Storrs, CT. For directions to the Studio Theatre, visit crt.uconn.edu/directions/. For more information, call the Ballard Institute at (860) 486-8580 or email us at bimp@uconn.edu.

“Puppets on a Holiday,” Saturday, December 20 at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m.!

Posted on by

On Saturday, December 20 Puppet Arts Program graduate students Sarah Nolen and Ana Craciun will perform “Puppets on a Holiday” at 1:00 pm and 3:00 pm at the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry.

“Puppets on a Holiday” is a family-friendly puppet variety show that will bring good cheer to every heart!

Using hand puppets, marionettes, and table-top puppetry, Sarah and Ana welcome you to their very own holiday celebration.

Tickets will be sold at the door, cash only. Kids: $5 Adults: $7

Contact Sarah Nolen at sarah.nolen@uconn.edu with questions.

The Yiddish Art Trio, Friday, 12/12 at 7:30 p.m.

Posted on by

Michael Winograd’s acclaimed Yiddish Art Trio, known around the world for its stunning reinterpretions of klezmer music will perform for the first time in eastern Connecticut at the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry on Friday, December 12 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets will be sold on the night of the performance at the door for $10 ($8 for students), payable by cash or check.

Featuring three of New York’s most celebrated klezmer musicians—Benjy Fox-Rosen and Patrick Farrell in addition to Winograd–the Yiddish Art Trio blends infectious traditional melodies with new compositions, sumptuous chamber music-like arrangements and breathtaking improvisations. This rising new ensemble is out to redefine the sound of contemporary klezmer. The Yiddish Art Trio is currently on tour to celebrate the release of its new self-titled album with a series of concerts in the East Coast and California.

The trio formed in early 2009 as the Michael Winograd Klezmer Trio, and has toured nationally and internationally to critical acclaim, most recently teaching in Germany at Yiddish Summer Weimar 2014, whose theme was “New Yiddish Music.” These three performer/composers are stretching the limits of tradition, re- composing and re-contextualizing Yiddish music for the concert hall and the dance floor. They incorporate elements of new classical music, minimalism, and art song, as well as Yiddish vocal music, cantorial music and theater music into an energetic and at times introspective concert program.

The Yiddish Art Trio includes a lineup of internationally accomplished, genre-transcending musicians, who have performed with such noted musicians as Yo-Yo Ma, Itzhak Perlman, Frank London, Ben Holmes, Alicia Svigals and others: Patrick Farrell (accordion), Benjy Fox-Rosen (voice and bass) and Michael Winograd (clarinet).