For its 2018 Fall Puppet Forum Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will host three free scintillating discussions with puppeteers and artists on Thursday evenings at 7 p.m. in Sept. through Dec. at in the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs. These forums will illuminate new perspectives on the creation, history, aesthetics, and performance of puppetry today. The Fall Puppet Forum schedule will include the following talks:

Sept. 13: “Women in Puppetry: Identity, Gender, and Performance,” with Stephanie D’Abruzzo, Clare Dolan, and Dey Hernández Vázquez
In the first puppet forum of the season, co-sponsored by the UConn Women’s Center, three acclaimed puppeteers will discuss the situation of women in contemporary U.S. puppetry: Dey Hernández Vázquez, from the Puerto Rico-based puppet theater Papel Machete; Clare Dolan, co-creator of the Banners and Cranks Festival and director of the Museum of Everyday Life; and Stephanie D’Abruzzo, who created the role of Kate Monster in Avenue Q. Kathleen Holgerson, Director of the UConn Women’s Center, will moderate this forum.

Nov. 15: “Night Fall: Community Puppetry in Hartford,” with Anne Cubberly
Over the past seven years, Anne Cubberly’s annual Night Fall performances in Hartford parks have celebrated seasonal change with art, music, dance, and Cubberly’s trademark giant puppets. Join us for a fascinating discussion about the origins, aims, techniques, and aesthetics of this dynamic community performance event that has redefined the cultural life of Connecticut’s capital.

Dec. 6: “African American Puppetry in New York City,” with Nehprii Amenii and Brad Brewer
In conjunction with the Ballard Institute’s Living Objects: African American Puppetry exhibition, this forum will bring together two noted New York-based puppeteers to talk about the past, present, and future of African American puppetry, and the dynamics of aesthetic and artistic choices in this field.

Admission to these events 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.

The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry will present the grand opening of its new exhibit Living Objects: African American Puppetry on Thursday, Oct. 25, 2018 at 6:30 p.m., with refreshments served at 6:30 p.m. and a free tour beginning at 7 p.m. All events will take place at the Ballard Institute, located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs. Ballard Institute Director John Bell comments “we are extremely excited that this important element of African American culture and performance will be celebrated and experienced in an exhibition of national importance.” The exhibition will be on display through Sunday, April 7, 2019.

The Living Objects: African American Puppetry exhibition at the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry is an event of national significance focused on an important but often overlooked aspect of American culture: the work of African American puppeteers. Bringing together puppets, performing objects, masks, and media work by over twenty different puppeteers from the late 19th century to the early 2000s, Living Objects: African American Puppetry will redefine our sense of American puppet history. Exhibition co-curator Dr. Paulette Richards writes: “since their arrival in the Americas, African people have animated objects in a rich variety of forms and contexts. Despite the prohibition by slaveholders on the creation of figurative objects reflecting an African-derived worldview, African Americans nevertheless animated objects to represent their experiences and identity.” Living Objects: African American Puppetry, Richards adds, will “highlight the work of contemporary African American artists while contextualizing the evolution of African American object performance.”

Living Objects: African American Puppetry is co-curated by Dr. Paulette Richards and Dr. John Bell. Dr. Paulette Richards is an Atlanta-based teaching artist. She holds a Ph.D. in French Civilization from the University of Virginia and currently serves as a docent at the Center for Puppetry Arts’ Worlds of Puppetry Museum. Dr. John Bell is a theater historian, puppeteer, and Director of the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry. He is also an Associate Professor of Dramatic Arts at the University of Connecticut.

The Living Objects: African American Puppetry project also includes workshops, forums, performances from Oct. 2018 through April 2019, including a Living Objects Symposium and Festival at the Ballard Institute Feb. 7-10, 2019, which will bring together scholars, performers, students, and the general public to discuss, watch, contemplate, and enjoy the many different aspects of African American puppetry. This project is presented as part of the African Diaspora, an initiative organized by the UConn School of Fine Arts, which celebrates the 50th Anniversary of the UConn African American Cultural Center. Additional exhibits and events are ongoing throughout the 2018-2019 academic year. For more information, visit sfa.uconn.edu/african-diaspora.

For more information about the Living Objects exhibit and related events, or if you require an accommodation to attend a program, please contact Ballard Institute staff at 860-486-8580 or bimp@uconn.edu.

The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will host its Fall Puppet Performance Series on four Saturdays from Sept. to Dec. 2018, 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 Fall Puppet Performance Series includes the following:

Sept. 29: The Fairy Circus by Tanglewood Marionettes
The Fairy Circus features over twenty beautifully handcrafted marionettes, and is a showcase for turn-of-the-century-style trick puppetry. The puppets will dance, play instruments, juggle, contort, transform, and fly through the air with the greatest of ease, all to the best-loved music of favorite composers! Recommended for ages 4+.
 

Oct. 27: Sir George and the Dragon by Pumpernickel Puppets
Join an adventurous princess as she journeys to Mystery Mountain to visit the Great Green Dragon. Along the way you’ll meet Zelda the babysitter, a silly bat, Sir George and his clumsy dog, and of course the lovable dragon. Will Sir George slay the dragon? Not to worry, everything ends happily in this fun show. Presented with large colorful hand puppets and live voices and sound effects. Recommended for ages 3+.

Nov. 10: The Fairy Tailor by Sarah Nolen
Meet the Fairy Tailor, hard at work in her enchanted shop, where dressing racks and laundry baskets are known to have a mind of their own. Watch as she transforms everyday garments into extraordinary characters, and shares stories of bravery, from “Little Red Riding Hood(ie),” to “The Emperor’s New Clothes.” With the audience’s help, the Fairy Tailor summons the courage to take a stand against a giant, crafting a solution that combines cleverness with creativity. Recommended for ages 4+.

Dec. 1: The Gingerbread Man by WonderSpark Puppets
“Run, run, as fast as you can–you can’t catch me I’m the Gingerbread Man!”  The Gingerbread Man is the classic story of a little running cookie–with a Christmas twist. Watch as the Gingerbread Man outwits and outruns various hungry animals–and figures out what he really wants for Christmas. This handpuppet show is performed in a traditional puppet booth. 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 this event, please contact Ballard Institute staff at 860-486-8580 or bimp@uconn.edu.

The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will once again offer fall community puppet-building workshops with acclaimed Boston puppeteer Sara Peattie, to design and build life-size and over-life-size puppets of community role models for the Celebrate Mansfield Parade in Downtown Storrs. These free workshops will take place Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 8 and 9, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at the Ballard Institute, located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs. Workshop participants will be invited to parade with the puppets as part of the Celebrate Mansfield Parade on Sunday, Sept. 16 at noon, and then perform in an open-air community pageant. These events are all part of the 15^th Annual Celebrate Mansfield Festival.

The theme for this year’s Ballard Institute parade and pageant is Sheroes, Heroes, and other Champions of the Mansfield Community, which will bring together groups and individuals from the Mansfield and UConn communities to celebrate the people and ideas we look up to. Working together with puppeteer Sara Peattie of the Boston-based Puppeteers Cooperative, groups and individuals will create over-life-sized masks and puppets representing important role models, objects, or ideas for their particular community. These puppets and masks will then be part of the Celebrate Mansfield Parade on Sunday, Sept. 16 at noon (line-up begins at 10:30 a.m. at Farrell Field near the Post Office), and a Sheroes, Heroes, and Other Champions of the Mansfield Community Pageant performed at Betsy Paterson Square in Downtown Storrs after the parade.

Workshop leader Sara Peattie is known for her dramatic creations that have become a central feature of community parades and pageants across the United States. Long a mainstay of Boston First Night festivities and the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade in New York City, Sara Peattie’s work—through her Boston-based Puppeteers Cooperative company and Puppet Free Library—combines community participation; simple, cheap, and practical puppet-building techniques; and a brilliant design sense to allow community members of all ages to take part in the age-old pleasures of participatory puppet performance in public spaces.

No experience is necessary to participate in these free community puppet-building workshops with Sara Peattie, but registration is requested. Participants can come for one or both days and are not required to stay for the entire time. Minors must be accompanied by an adult. To register for the workshop or if you require accommodation to participate, contact the Ballard Institute at bimp@uconn.edu or 860-486-8580.

This community puppet project is sponsored by the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut and the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, Inc. For more information about the 15^th Annual Celebrate Mansfield Festival, visit downtownstorrsfestival.org.

The Mansfield Downtown Partnership is an independent, non-profit organization comprised of the Town of Mansfield, the University of Connecticut, and individual business members and residents. The Partnership seeks to foster the continued development, management, and promotion of Downtown Storrs. For more information about the Partnership, visit https://www.mansfieldmdp.org/.

As part of its popular family-friendly Summertime Saturday Puppet Show Series featuring acclaimed puppeteers from around New England and beyond, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will present Monkey and Dino’s Funky Puppet Show! by John Cody on Saturday, Aug. 11 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Ballard Institute Theater located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs.

Best friends Monkey (a monkey) and Dino (a dinosaur) are attempting to bring YOU the greatest puppet show EVER! (Or at least a really good one.) Join this simian and reptilian team (along with a host of their wacky friends) as they perform sketches, music, and more, in this new production by Puppet Arts alumnus John Cody. And maybe they’ll even learn something along the way. Or maybe not, who’s to say? (There’s only one-way to find out.) Come on down to Monkey and Dino’s Funky Puppet Show! This show is 45 minutes and recommended for ages 6+.

John Cody decided he wanted to be a puppeteer before the age of five. Now based in New York, John has since worked on many projects of all different kinds, from marionettes to hand puppets to giant character costumes. In addition to his own self-produced shows, he is a freelance puppeteer and puppet builder, and has had the opportunity to learn from and work alongside his heroes at the Jim Henson Company.

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.

As part of its popular, family-friendly Summertime Saturday Puppet Show Series hosting acclaimed puppeteers from around New England and beyond, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will present The Bremen Town Musicians by CactusHead Puppets on Saturday, Aug. 4 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Ballard Institute Theater located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs.

What can a donkey, a dog, a cat, and a rooster do when they have to leave their farm? Become world famous musicians, of course! CactusHead Puppets brings to life the hilarious tale of four farm animals that set out on the road to Bremen to pursue their dreams of stardom. Along the way, they encounter a fortune, foil some robbers, and learn how to work together in harmony. This production features lovable rod puppets, elaborate shadow scenes, and CactusHead puppets’ signature sense of humor. This show is 40 minutes long and recommended for ages 4+.

CactusHead Puppets was started in 2010 by husband-and-wife team John and Megan Regan, both UConn Puppet Arts Program alumni. Over the past eight years they have created many shows based on favorite, familiar folktales, and have toured throughout New England. Megan is originally from the Kansas City area, where she worked with Paul Mesner Puppets. John is from western Massachusetts, and is honored to be performing in the same venues where he saw puppet shows growing up. Megan collects pop-up books, and John has a love for giant monster movies.

Upcoming Summertime Saturday Puppet Shows include:

Aug. 11: Monkey and Dino’s Funky Puppet Show! by John Cody

Best friends Monkey (a monkey) and Dino (a dinosaur) are attempting to bring YOU the greatest puppet show EVER! (Or at least a really good one.) Join this simian and reptilian team and a host of their wacky friends as they perform sketches, music, and more, in this new production by UConn Puppet Arts alumnus John Cody. And maybe they’ll even learn something along the way. Or maybe not, who’s to say? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to come on down to Monkey and Dino’s Funky Puppet Show! Recommended for ages 6+.

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.

 

As part of its popular family-friendly Summertime Saturday Puppet Show Series hosting acclaimed puppeteers from around New England and beyond, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry will present The Velcro Show! by Kalob Puppet Co. on Saturday, July 28 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Ballard Institute Theater located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs.

Velcro Kitty was king of his block in the big city of Houston, Texas. He knew how to navigate around cars, other cats, and the dreaded dogs, but now he faces a brand new challenge. His people are acting strange and they have put all their belongings in giant boxes–Velcro is worried. In this new Kalob Puppet Co. production, Velcro Kitty travels across the country and faces the challenges of moving to new neighborhood in small-town Connecticut filled with big cats and creatures he has never seen before. Can Velcro be king again? A story about finding your way, making new friends, dealing with bullies, and finding balance. This show is 40 minutes long and recommended for ages 5+.

Kalob Puppet Co. is UConn Puppet Arts alumnus Kalob Martinez and his fiancée/collaborator Blair Gulledge. Together they create work for all ages discussing issues that affect us all as humans and animals alike. Kalob is currently a touring ensemble member of Sandglass Theater’s Babylon and Blair is the Costume Shop Manager at the Hartford Stage.

Upcoming Summertime Saturday Puppet Shows include:

Aug. 4: The Bremen Town Musicians by CactusHead Puppets

What can a donkey, a dog, a cat, and a rooster do when they have to leave their farm? Become world-famous musicians, of course! CactusHead Puppets, founded by UConn Puppet Arts alumni Megan and John Regan, brings to life the hilarious tale of four farm animals that set out on the road to Bremen to pursue their dreams of stardom. Along the way, they encounter a fortune, foil some robbers, and learn how to work together in harmony. This production features lovable rod puppets, elaborate shadow scenes, and CactusHead Puppets’ signature sense of humor. Recommended for ages 4+. 

Aug. 11: Monkey and Dino’s Funky Puppet Show! by John Cody

Best friends Monkey (a monkey) and Dino (a dinosaur) are attempting to bring YOU the greatest puppet show EVER! (Or at least a really good one.) Join this simian and reptilian team and a host of their wacky friends as they perform sketches, music, and more, in this new production by UConn Puppet Arts alumnus John Cody. And maybe they’ll even learn something along the way. Or maybe not, who’s to say? There’s only one way to find out, and that’s to come on down to Monkey and Dino’s Funky Puppet Show! Recommended for ages 6+.

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.

 

As part of its popular, family-friendly Summertime Saturday Puppet Show Series hosting acclaimed puppeteers from around New England and beyond, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry will present The Dinosaur Show by Missouri’s Mesner Puppet Theater on Saturday, July 21 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Ballard Institute Theater located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs.

Make no bones about it –The Dinosaur Show is sure to tickle your funny bone and stimulate your imagination! Mesner Puppet Theater reaches into the past using hand, rod, shadow, and body puppets to bring this prehistoric tale to life. Join paleontologist Dr. Dino Sawyer (played by puppeteer Mike Horner) in exploring scientific theories (as well as some improbable ones) that explain what was and what might have been in the Age of the Dinosaurs. This show is 45 minutes long and recommended for ages 4+.

Mesner Puppet Theater is a globally known professional puppet theatre company founded by Paul Mesner in Kansas City, Missouri. The company performs a local season of plays and tours nationally and internationally, reaching more than 30,000 people annually. Mike Horner joined MPT in 2006 and became the company’s Artistic Director in 2016. As the company’s lead puppet builder, Mike designs puppets for MPT’s shows as well as for other theatrical and video clients.

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.

As part of its popular family-friendly Summertime Saturday Puppet Show Series hosting acclaimed puppeteers from around New England and beyond, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will present Peter Rabbit Tales by Pennsylvania’s Tuckers’ Tales Puppet Theatre on Saturday, July 14 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Ballard Institute Theater located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs. Also join us for our grand opening of our new exhibitions “Spiffy Pictures: Adventures in Television Animation” and “Frank Ballard into the 80s” at noon with free refreshments and tour!

The favorite of children the world over, Beatrix Potter’s Peter Rabbit stories have been loved for generations. Now Tuckers’ Tales Puppet Theatre brings them to life in an irresistible manner with colorful scenery and turn-of-the-century costumes for an unforgettable theater experience. Included are: The Tale of Peter Rabbit, The Tale of Mrs. Tittlemouse, and The Tale of Benjamin Bunny. This show is 45 minutes long and recommended for ages 4+.

Tuckers’ Tales Puppet Theatre is a Philadelphia-area-based performing company founded in 1981 by co-directors Marianne and Tom Tucker. With a repertoire of 36 shows, they have performed at puppet, folk, ethnic, and street festivals; and at craft fairs, libraries, theaters and schools around North America. Audiences from small children to senior citizens have enjoyed the variety of styles skillfully displayed in their colorful and entertaining programs.

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.

From July 2 through July 13, 2018, Ballard Institute staff will be installing our new exhibitions Spiffy Pictures: Adventures in Television Animation and Frank Ballard into the 80s.  While the main galleries at the Ballard Institute will be closed during this process, the museum will remain open during normal business hours, and The World of Puppetry: From the Collections of the Ballard Institute will be on display in the lobby.

We  invite you to join us for the grand opening of Spiffy Pictures: Adventures in Television Animation and Frank Ballard into the 80s on July 14 at the Ballard Institute. The opening events will include refreshments at noon and a free tour at 12:30 p.m.