Author: Bell, John

UConn Fall Puppet Slam Saturday, September 21 to Feature Alumni Performers

Posted on September 6, 2013 by Bell, John

The 2013 UConn Fall Puppet Slam, on Saturday evening, September 21 in the Dramatic Arts Department’s Studio Theatre will feature short works by acclaimed alumni of the Puppet Arts Program as well as new works by current students in the program. For the first time, the UConn Puppet Slam will offer two performances of the same program: at 8 p.m. and at 10 p.m. Guests at a Ballard Institute fund-raising event will attend the 8 p.m. showing, so the general public is urged to attend to 10 p.m. showing.

The Fall Puppet Slam will feature works by Puppet Arts alumni Zachery Dorn, Carole D’Agostino, Dave Regan, and Joseph Therrien.

Pittsburgh-based Zachery Dorn has recently focused on live-streamed internet performances of toy theater productions using hand-held cameras, some of which he will perform at UConn: What Time is it in Berlin? and A Story About the Saddest Story.

Carole D’Agostino has been performing in New England-area Puppet Slams since 1997. She will present scenes from The Hoarding Show, a miniature spectacle combining tabletop puppetry, shadow theater, and object theater “about the clutter we keep, mentally and physically in our lives,” including the story of the famous Collyer brothers of New York City.

1002194_485332914896216_2035482145_n — Zachery Dorn and Jason Hicks

Joseph Therrien, working with puppeteer Jason Hicks, will present scenes from their handpuppet spectacle Weasel, Citizen Hero, an irreverent series of shows featuring found-object puppets and political satire, which the duo have created at Bread & Puppet Theater, where Therrien is now a company member.

And Dave Regan of Fluke Theater will perform a handpuppet piece entitled Fight or Flyght.

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 Slam Network.

The UConn Fall Puppet Slam is free and open to the public–donations are greatly appreciated. Both the 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. showings are open to the general public, but more than half of the seats for the 8 p.m. showing will be reserved for fund-raiser attendees. For directions to the Studio Theater see this site. For more information call the Ballard Institute at 860 486 0339.

Puppet Arts Students Create Puppet Production of Erik Ehn Play for Human Rights Institute Conference

Posted on September 5, 2013October 4, 2021 by Bell, John

A Ballard Institute project to support new works for puppetry will culminate in a production of Erik Ehn’s The Architecture of Great Cathedrals on Friday, September 20 at 6:30 at the University of Connecticut Human Rights Institute‘s international “Contexts of Human Rights” conference. The performance will take place at the Wilber Cross Reading Room at UConn.

Sarah Nolen, Dana Samborski, and Anna Fitzgerald rehearsing

Puppet Arts Program graduate students Anna Fitzgerald, Sarah Nolen, and Dana Samborski, working with Puppet Arts Director Bart Roccoberton and BIMP Director John Bell, conceived, designed, built, and will perform Ehn’s play–part of the playwright’s celebrated Soulographie cycle of dramas about genocide–as a tabletop puppet production which they began to work on last spring.

“I’m extremely excited to see this work,” Dr. Bell said; “the combination of these talented Puppet Arts students and Erik Ehn’s stunning text is going to make for a compelling puppet production. I’m glad the Human Rights conference participants can see it.”

The first performance of the show will be exclusively for Human Rights conference participants (see their website for registration information); however the Ballard Institute hopes to produce public performances of the production in the future.

“The World of Puppetry” at Vernon Community Arts Center, September 9 – October 5

Posted on September 5, 2013June 28, 2021 by Bell, John

Tolu Bommalata shadow figures from India

An amazing array of puppets from the Ballard Institute collections and UConn’s Puppet Arts Program will be on display September 9 through October 5 in “The World of Puppetry”, an exhibition at the Vernon Community Art Center in Vernon, Connecticut! The Opening Reception for the event is Sunday, September 8 from 1 to 4 p.m.

The exhibition includes the following amazing workshops, performances, and talks:

– Three puppet shows created and performed by graduate students of the Puppet Arts Program on Saturday, September 14th at 2:00; Sunday, September 22nd at 2:00; and Saturday, October 5th at 7:30.

– Shadow Theatre Workshop on Saturday, September 21st

– Toy Theatre Workshop on Saturday, September 28th. These intergenerational workshops, led by UConn Puppetry faculty and students, are intended for children, parents and/or grandparents.

– “Behind the Puppet Stage”: a lecture by Puppet Arts Program Director Bart Roccoberton on Sunday, September 29th.

Gallery hours for the exhibition, from September 12th through October 5th, are Thursday through Sunday 1 – 5.

For details about the performances and to register for the workshops, please visit the Vernon Community Arts Center website or contact the VCAC by phone at: (860) 871-VCAC (8222).

This project is made possible by a grant from The Greater Hartford Arts Council and funding from The Vernon Arts Commission.

“Strings, Rods, Robots: Recent Acquisitions” Showcases Global Puppet Traditions and Innovations

Posted on August 14, 2013March 16, 2020 by Bell, John

Kathpulti Marionettes from Rajasthan, India

Puppets from around the world representing several centuries worth of global traditions, as well as as cutting-edge hybrids of puppetry and digital technology, make up the rich array of performing objects on display in the Ballard Institute’s new exhibition Strings, Rods, Robots: Recent Acquisitions.

Jim Henson’s “Wizard of Id”

The exhibition, curated by UConn Art and Art History graduate student Lindsay Simon, showcases an exhilarating diversity of puppets from around the world recently donated to the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry. Strings, Rods, Robots exhibition brings together ancient puppet traditions and Modernist innovations, with objects ranging from Vietnamese water puppets, Persian ritual marionettes, and Javanese shadow puppets to 1930s Alabama marionettes, department store automata by Ellen Rixford, a lifesize robotic marionette by French media artist Zaven Paré, traditional Egyptian shadow puppets, a Dada-inspired marionette by Australian artist Sally Smart, a spectacular Danish toy theater, and a stunning array of global puppet forms collected by John E. and Marilyn O’Connor Miller.

Electronic Marionette by Zaven Paré

These visually striking–and sometimes startling–juxtapositions reveal the contemporary world of puppetry as a fecund and florid network of hybrid culture, where centuries-old traditions of epic, religious, comic, and political puppetry performed with wooden, cloth, and leather figures rub shoulders with mechanical or electronic puppets made of plastic, metal, and glass. And yet, despite these fascinating contradictions, the old and new puppets continue to reveal to us what is happening in our societies, with insight, humor, and wisdom.

“Exceptional and Uncommon: The Puppetry of Dick Myers” Now on Exhibit

Posted on August 14, 2013 by Bell, John

An eye-opening exhibition of a ground-breaking 20th-century American puppeteer, Dick Myers, is now on display at the Ballard Museum. ”Exceptional and Uncommon: The Puppetry of Dick Myers” is a fascinating in-depth look at a puppeteer’s puppeteer—an innovative and ingenious designer, builder, and performer whose work, while highly respected in the international world of puppetry, never brought him fame.

Curated by Puppet Arts Program graduate student Seth Shaffer, “Exceptional and Uncommon” brings together scores of rod puppets, marionettes, and hand puppets designed and performed by Myers; innovative sound, lighting, and stage equipment he designed; photographs of Myers at work and in performance; and a documentary video filmed and edited by Shaffer in which Myers’s friends and colleagues describe his work and his life.

Dick Myers was one of the leading American puppeteers of the later 20^th century. Although his work is now relatively unknown, in its time his puppet shows were highly respected by puppeteers around the world for the compelling and original design of the puppets, Myers’ skillful manipulation, and the challenging tasks he set out and achieved with his creations.

In the early years of his career Dick Myers worked with many well-known puppeteers including Connecticut’s Rufus and Margo Rose, and Martin and Olga Stevens of Indiana. He was, however, best known for his unique solo rod puppet shows: Dick Whittington’s Cat (1966), Cinderella(1967), Beauty and the Beast (1969), Simple Simon (1976), and Divertissement (1978).

“Exceptional and Uncommon: The Puppetry of Dick Myers” is a revelatory and thought-provoking window into puppetry of the late 20th century, when American puppeteers combined technological innovations with home-grown humor and popular culture in order to re-define puppetry as an aspect of contemporary American culture.

Summer Family Puppet Series

Posted on August 14, 2013March 16, 2020 by Bell, John

This Summer, The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry will once again be presenting puppet shows for all ages performed by students from the famed UConn Puppet Arts Program.

Every Saturday from June 29th to July 27th at 3 pm, join us for these exciting and unique presentations.

Performances will take place at The Puppet Arts Complex (as the Thompson Building on this map) down the street from The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry on UConn’s Depot Campus off US-44.

June 29th, 3 pm: Puppet Arts Family Friendly Potpourri! Vignettes from current Puppet Arts students including “The Fluff Catillion,” a meow-velous toy theater by Dana Samorski and Carianne Hoff, and “The Most Beautiful Tree” a toy theater production by Anna Fitzgerald.

July 6th, 3pm: Seth Shaffer performs Dick Myers’ Cinderella with Myers’ unique rod puppets. Come early or stay late and check out the Dick Myers exhibition at The Ballard Museum.

July 13th, 3pm: Xing Xin’s Shadow Show. Xing Xin Liu’s original pieces of shadow theater, inspired by her studies with Chinese Shadow Puppet masters.

July 20th, 3pm: Seth Shaffer performs Dick Myers’ Beauty and the Beast with Myers’ unique rod puppets. Come early or stay late and check out the Dick Myers exhibition at The Ballard Museum.

July 27th, 3pm: Sarah Nolen’s Tales from the Woods including her shadow puppet performance of “Lisa the Wise.”

Performances are $5 for Adults and $3 for children. Come early or stay late to see the current exhibitions at The Ballard Museum.

A Toy Theater by Dana Samborski and Carianne Hoff

Summer Family Puppet Series

Posted on June 4, 2013March 16, 2020 by Bell, John

This Summer, The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry will once again be presenting puppet shows for all ages performed by students from the famed UConn Puppet Arts Program.

Every Saturday from June 29th to July 27th at 3 pm, join us for these exciting and unique presentations.

Performances will take place at The Puppet Arts Complex (as the Thompson Building on this map) down the street from The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry on UConn’s Depot Campus off US-44.

Seth Shaffer will perform Dick Myers’ Cinderella

July 6th, 3pm: Seth Shaffer performs Dick Myers’ Cinderella with Myers’ unique rod puppets. Come early or stay late and check out the Dick Myers exhibition at The Ballard Museum.

July 13th, 3pm: Xing Xin’s Shadow Show. Xing Xin Liu’s original pieces of shadow theater, inspired by her studies with Chinese Shadow Puppet masters.

July 20th, 3pm: Seth Shaffer performs Dick Myers’ Beauty and the Beast with Myers’ unique rod puppets. Come early or stay late and check out the Dick Myers exhibition at The Ballard Museum.

July 27th, 3pm: Sarah Nolen’s Tales from the Woods including her shadow puppet performance of “Lisa the Wise.”

Performances are $5 for Adults and $3 for children. Come early or stay late to see the current exhibitions at The Ballard Museum.

A Toy Theater by Dana Samborski and Carianne Hoff

Ballard Institute Moving to New Location in Downtown Storrs this Fall

Posted on April 23, 2013 by Bell, John

storrs-square — The new Ballard Institute at Downtown Storrs will be located in this complex.

The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, part of the University of Connecticut’s world-renowned puppet programs in the School of Fine Arts, will become part of Downtown Storrs in the fall.

The museum will relocate from its current location at UConn’s Depot campus to a more accessible exhibition and performance space that is part of the new branch of the UConn Co-op in Downtown Storrs.

“Our move to Downtown Storrs is a great opportunity for the Ballard Institute to thrive in the middle of a busy community environment,” says John Bell, Director of the museum and a theater historian. “We are looking forward to expanding our hours of operation, presenting more puppet performances, forums, film showings, and symposia, and collaborating with other parts of the UConn and Mansfield community.”

In its new home, the Ballard Institute and Museum will occupy 4,332 square-feet of museum, performance, and support space on the first floor of the building, providing for an expanded space for one large exhibition or two smaller simultaneous exhibitions.

“We are very excited about the move,” says Cynthia van Zelm, Executive Director of the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, Inc. “We feel it will be a destination for visitors with a key location inside the UConn Co-op and near restaurants and other businesses in the downtown.”

The Museum’s permanent collection includes 2,500 puppets consisting of a wide variety of marionettes, hand puppets, shadow fingers, rod puppets, toy theaters, and other figures, as well as hundreds of traditional puppets from Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas. It also includes hundreds of books and more than 1,000 videos and other audio-visual resources.

William Simpson, President and Chief Operating Officer of the UConn Co-op, says working with the Museum in its new Downtown Storrs location will create an innovative experience for the UConn Co-op and its patrons.

“This will offer the bookstore customer/museum patron a unique environment that they will want to experience again and again. We can’t wait,” says Simpson.

Tony Sarg marionettes from “The Mikado” (1936).

Current exhibitions at the Museum at the Depot campus include “Exceptional and Uncommon: The Puppetry of Dick Myers,” the first-ever exhibition devoted to the unique puppetry of Dick Myers, whose one-man shows excited audiences around the world in the mid-20th century; and “Strings, Rods, and Robots: Recent Acquisitions,” which showcases the exhilarating diversity of puppets from around the world recently acquired by the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry.

UConn is one of only two universities in the country offering a bachelor’s of fine arts in puppet arts and the only one offering master’s degrees in puppet arts. Graduates of the program perform and design for many theatres around the world. Shortly before her death earlier this month, Jane Henson, a puppeteer and original collaborator with Muppets creator Jim Henson, donated $100,000 to establish a scholarship fund for students majoring in puppet arts.

Downtown Storrs is a new mixed-use, pedestrian-oriented downtown in Mansfield, Connecticut. The downtown features shops, restaurants, services, and apartment homes that are interspersed with a town square and public areas in a new neighborhood located at the intersection of Storrs Road and the University of Connecticut.

“Strings, Rods, Robots: Recent Acquisitions” Showcases Global Puppet Traditions and Innovations

Posted on April 23, 2013March 16, 2020 by Bell, John

Kathpulti Marionettes from Rajasthan, India

Jim Henson’s “Wizard of Id”

Electronic Marionette by Zaven Paré

“Exceptional and Uncommon: The Puppetry of Dick Myers” Now on Exhibit

Posted on April 23, 2013March 16, 2020 by Bell, John

Cinderella and the Prince, from Dick Myers’s “Cinderella”

An eye-opening exhibition of a ground-breaking 20th-century American puppeteer, Dick Myers, is now on display at the Ballard Museum. “Exceptional and Uncommon: The Puppetry of Dick Myers” is a fascinating in-depth look at a puppeteer’s puppeteer—an innovative and ingenious designer, builder, and performer whose work, while highly respected in the international world of puppetry, never brought him fame.

In the early years of his career Dick Myers worked with many well-known puppeteers including Connecticut’s Rufus and Margo Rose, and Martin and Olga Stevens of Indiana. He was, however, best known for his unique solo rod puppet shows: Dick Whittington’s Cat (1966), Cinderella (1967), Beauty and the Beast (1969), Simple Simon (1976), and Divertissement (1978).