Featured

Puppets and Masks in Star Wars Forum with Colette Searls on 3/12

Posted on by

As part of its 2025 Spring Puppet Forum Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry is pleased to host Puppets and Masks in Star Wars, a UConn Puppet Forum with Professor Colette Searls, on Wednesday, March 12, 2025 at 7 p.m. at the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs. This forum will also be broadcast via Ballard Institute Facebook Live (facebook.com/BallardInstitute).

Professor Colette Searls, of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, will discuss the essential role of puppets, masks, and performing objects in the many different aspects of the venerable and popular Star Wars epic. Based on her 2023 book A Galaxy of Things: The Power of Puppets and Masks in Star Wars and Beyond, Dr. Searls will examine how, since 1977, creatures, droids, masked figures, and other material characters have been central to Star Wars trilogies and stories, telling meaningful stories that conventional human characters can’t, through the powers of what Dr. Searls calls “distance, distillation, and duality.” 

Colette Searls is Professor of Theatre at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) where has directed over twenty productions, including award-winning works of puppetry and material performance. Other directing credits include Noah Haidle’s Vigils at The Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company (four Helen Hayes Award nominations), Kendra’s Bay at the inaugural Light City Baltimore International Arts Festival, and Fixed Boundary at San Francisco’s Exit Theatre (winner of the Best of the San Francisco Fringe Festival award). She has received grants from the Jim Henson Foundation, the Maryland State Arts Council, and the Puppeteers of America for her original works in found-object puppetry. Her book A Galaxy of Things: the Power of Puppets and Masks in Star Wars and Beyond received the 2024 Nancy Staub Publications Award; she is also the performance review editor for the journal Puppetry International Research (PIR).

Admission to this event is free (donations greatly appreciated!), and refreshments will be served. 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.

Now on Exhibit! “American Puppet Theater Today: The Photography of Richard Termine”

Posted on by
Photo: Mirror Mirror by Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles of Processional Arts. Created for New York City’s 50th Annual Village Halloween Parade, Jeanne Fleming, Artistic and Producing Director. Photograph: © 2023 Richard Termine

 The Jim Henson Foundation and the Ballard Institute presents American Puppet Theater Today: The Photography of Richard Termine as part of the 60th anniversary celebration of UConn’s Puppet Arts Program in 2025. The exhibition, including over 150 images and selected puppets featured in Termine’s photographs, including work by Torry Bend, Basil Twist, Dan Hurlin, Tarish Pipkins, Theodora Skipitares, Bread and Puppet Theater, Janie Geiser, Tom Lee, and Paul Zaloom. American Puppet Theater Today will be on display through Sunday, May 11 at the Ballard Institute.

Termine, an alumnus of the UConn Puppet Arts Program, has documented American puppet theater for over 30 years with a unique perspective that invites the viewer into the vivid world of puppetry. He is the lead performing arts photographer for The New York Times and has served as the in-house photographer for Sesame Street since 1988. His images have also appeared in the Washington Post, The Village Voice, Time, Newsweek, People, American Theatre, USA Today, Entertainment Design and Der Spiegel, and other publications.  

Termine’s performing arts photography includes a wide range of images capturing notable artists globally (Lincoln Center, London’s Globe Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, and Dublin Theatre Company, among others), in theater (The Phantom of the Opera, Little Shop of Horrors, Cirque du Soleil), dance (Alvin Ailey, Merce Cunningham, Moscow Festival Ballet), opera (Metropolitan Opera, Folkoperan of Stockholm), television (The Today Show, Blue’s Clues, Live at Lincoln Center, The CBS Evening News), classical music (Lincoln Center Festival, Salzburg Camerata, Mostly Mozart), and concerts and cabaret (Liza Minelli, Michael Feinstein, Ray Charles, Yo-Yo Ma, Tony Bennett, Yoko Ono, Kristin Chenoweth).  

“Richard brilliantly captures the vibrancy of the performances he photographs; even in static images, the puppets come to life,” said John Bell, a puppeteer, puppet historian and the director of the Ballard Institute.  “The photos and puppets in the exhibition illustrate the dynamic range of this expansive art form and honor the lively community of artists creating puppet theater, from established experts like Basil Twist and Julie Taymor to emerging artists.”   

Termine completed his MFA in Puppet Arts at UConn in 1978. He began his association with The Jim Henson Company in 1980 as a puppet designer and builder for a variety of Muppet productions.  While working on the set of Sesame Street, he began photographing behind the scenes, leading to a new career as a performing arts photographer. He has been the in-house photographer for Sesame Street since 1988 and has been on the board of The Jim Henson Foundation since 1987, currently serving as the Foundation’s vice president. 

Funny Boy: The Life of Richard Hunt Forum with Jessica Max Stein on 3/5

Posted on by

As part of its 2025 Spring Puppet Forum Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry is pleased to host Funny Boy: The Life of Richard Hunt, a Puppet Forum with Jessica Max Stein, on Wednesday, March 5, 2025 at 7 p.m. at the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs. This forum will also be broadcast via Ballard Institute Facebook Live (facebook.com/BallardInstitute). 

Join us on Wednesday, March 5 with author Jessica Max Stein to look at the life of Richard Hunt, the dynamic, irreverent, and spirited puppeteer who played an essential role in the success of the Muppets. Hunt joined the Muppets in 1970 at the age of 18, and developed such essential puppet characters as Scooter, Janice, Beaker, and Sweetums, appearing on The Muppet Show, Sesame Street, Fraggle Rock, and in multiple Muppet movies. Equally important, Stein’s book explains in a fascinating manner how this gay American artist thrived as a performer and human being in the late-twentieth-century age of AIDS. 

Jessica Max Stein writes vivid, novelistic history that brings the past to life. Most recently, she is the author of Funny Boy: The Richard Hunt Biography (Rutgers University Press, 2024). She writes frequently for New York newspaper The Indypendent, and her writing has received awards from Poets and Writers Magazine, the Independent Press Association, and the Biographers International Organization, as well as being published widely. She teaches writing and literature at Hunter College of the City University of New York (CUNY). 

 Admission to this event is free (donations greatly appreciated!), and refreshments will be served. 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.  

Don’t Make Me Get Dressed by The Gottabees on 3/1

Posted on by

Join us on 3/1 at 11am and 2pm as we bring back the popular Boston-based company The Gottabees to perform their new production Don’t Make Me Get Dressed!

For every child who has struggled to get into their clothes first thing in the morning (and for every parent who has fought valiantly in the battleground of the morning routine), comes Don’t Make Me Get Dressed – a gloriously silly and inventive ode to the feelings we have when we choose our clothes… and to what happens when our clothes come to life and choose us. Don’t Make Me Get Dressed features The Gottabees’ trademark mix of puppetry, joyously absurd silliness, physical theater, live music, and surprising poignancy. Recommended for ages 3+. Runtime is approximately 35 minutes plus a question-and-answer session.

The Gottabees are passionate about community, family joy, and empowerment, and have been guiding families through stage performances, interactive experiences, and audio adventures since 2013. The Gottabees have performed in 19 states, and five countries for over 45,000 people, and were awarded a UNIMA-USA Citation of Excellence. Their projects have been funded by the Jim Henson Foundation, Puppeteers of America, US Artists International, and the Boston Foundation.

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 https://shorturl.at/cyG2r. Tickets may also be purchased at the Ballard Institute on the day of the performance starting at 10 a.m. There will be open seating and no reservations. Visitors can park in the Downtown Storrs Garage located at 33 Royce Circle. For more information about these performances or if you require accommodation to attend this event, please contact Ballard Institute staff at 860-486-8580 or bimp@uconn.edu.

Jack and the Beanstalk by Nappy’s Puppets on 2/15

Posted on by

To kick off its 2025 Spring Puppet Performance Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut is pleased to welcome back UConn Puppet Arts alumnus Jim Napolitano of Nappy’s Puppets to perform Jack and the Beanstalk on Saturday, Feb. 15, 2025 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the in the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs.

Though English in origin, Jack has become a true American folk hero. Jack and the Beanstalk by Nappy’s Puppets focuses on Jack and his many adventures; from Jack be Nimble, Jack Horner, and Big Jack and Little Jack, to the popular Jack and the Beanstalk. Based on Appalachian folk tales collected by Richard Chase, Jack and the Beanstalk utilizes the ancient art of shadow puppetry in a new and innovative way. With songs and stories and well over 80 handcrafted shadow puppets, Nappy's Jack and the Beanstalk is sure to delight young and old.­­­­­

Jim Napolitano (Nappy’s Puppets) is a native of Milford, Conn., and a graduate of UConn’s Puppet Arts Program. After completion of his degree, Jim worked with Bits and Pieces Puppet Theater, performing around the country and world, including Japan's National Culture Center and Taiwan's National Theater.

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.uconn.edu. Tickets may also be purchased at the Ballard Institute on the day of the 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. For more information about these performances or if you require accommodation to attend this event, please contact Ballard Institute staff at 860-486-8580 or bimp@uconn.edu.

 

Grand Opening of “American Puppet Theater Today: The Photography of Richard Termine” on 1/31!

Posted on by
Photo: Mirror Mirror by Alex Kahn and Sophia Michahelles of Processional Arts. Created for New York City’s 50th Annual Village Halloween Parade, Jeanne Fleming, Artistic and Producing Director. Photograph: © 2023 Richard Termine

 The Jim Henson Foundation and the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will American Puppet Theater Today: The Photography of Richard Termine as part of the 60th anniversary celebration of UConn’s Puppet Arts Program in 2025. The exhibition, including over 130 images and selected puppets featured in Termine’s photographs, including work by Torry Bend, Basil Twist, Dan Hurlin, Tarish Pipkins, Theodora Skipitares, Bread and Puppet Theater, Janie Geiser, Tom Lee, and Paul Zaloom. American Puppet Theater Today will be on display from Friday, Jan. 31 to Sunday, May 11 at the Ballard Institute.

Termine, an alumnus of the UConn Puppet Arts Program, has documented American puppet theater for over 30 years with a unique perspective that invites the viewer into the vivid world of puppetry. He is the lead performing arts photographer for The New York Times and has served as the in-house photographer for Sesame Street since 1988. His images have also appeared in the Washington Post, The Village Voice, Time, Newsweek, People, American Theatre, USA Today, Entertainment Design and Der Spiegel, and other publications.  

Termine’s performing arts photography includes a wide range of images capturing notable artists globally (Lincoln Center, London’s Globe Theatre, Royal Shakespeare Company, and Dublin Theatre Company, among others), in theater (The Phantom of the Opera, Little Shop of Horrors, Cirque du Soleil), dance (Alvin Ailey, Merce Cunningham, Moscow Festival Ballet), opera (Metropolitan Opera, Folkoperan of Stockholm), television (The Today Show, Blue’s Clues, Live at Lincoln Center, The CBS Evening News), classical music (Lincoln Center Festival, Salzburg Camerata, Mostly Mozart), and concerts and cabaret (Liza Minelli, Michael Feinstein, Ray Charles, Yo-Yo Ma, Tony Bennett, Yoko Ono, Kristin Chenoweth).  

“Richard brilliantly captures the vibrancy of the performances he photographs; even in static images, the puppets come to life,” said John Bell, a puppeteer, puppet historian and the director of the Ballard Institute.  “The photos and puppets in the exhibition illustrate the dynamic range of this expansive art form and honor the lively community of artists creating puppet theater, from established experts like Basil Twist and Julie Taymor to emerging artists.”   

Termine completed his MFA in Puppet Arts at UConn in 1978. He began his association with The Jim Henson Company in 1980 as a puppet designer and builder for a variety of Muppet productions.  While working on the set of Sesame Street, he began photographing behind the scenes, leading to a new career as a performing arts photographer. He has been the in-house photographer for Sesame Street since 1988 and has been on the board of The Jim Henson Foundation since 1987, currently serving as the Foundation’s vice president. 

The grand opening of American Puppet Theater Today: The Photography of Richard Termine on Friday, Jan. 31 will begin with refreshments served at 6 p.m. and an in-person exhibition tour at 6:30 p.m. by Richard Termine, with Cheryl Henson, the President of The Jim Henson Foundation; this will also be streamed on Ballard Institute’s Facebook Live channel (facebook.com/BallardInstitute/). All events will take place at the Ballard Institute, located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs. 

Ballard Institute Closed on 11/28

Posted on by

The Ballard Institute will be closed on Thursday, 11/28 for Thanksgiving. The museum is open for regular hours the rest of the week.

Monday, 11/25 + Tuesday, 11/26: CLOSED

Wednesday, 11/27: 11 am – 5 pm

Thursday, 11/28: (Thanksgiving) CLOSED

Friday, 11/29: 11 am – 5 pm

Saturday, 11/30: 11 am – 7 pm

Sunday, 12/1: 11 am – 5 pm

“Exploring Puppetry in The Old Man and the Old Moon” Puppet Forum on 11/20

Posted on by

As part of its 2024 Fall Puppet Forum Series and in conjunction with the Connecticut Repertory Theatre’s fall season, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry is pleased to host “Exploring Puppetry in The Old Man and the Old Moon” on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2024 at 5:30 p.m. at the Jorgensen Gallery, located at 2132 Hillside Rd, Storrs, Conn. 06268. This forum is co-sponsored by the UConn Connecticut Repertory Theatre and will be streamed via Ballard Institute Facebook Live (facebook.com/BallardInstitute).

“Exploring Puppetry in The Old Man and the Old Moon” will offer a special behind-the-scenes glimpse of this new Connecticut Repertory Theatre production before that evening’s 7:30 p.m. performance at the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre. The forum will discuss the design, construction, and performance of shadow figures and three-dimensional puppets in of a PigPen Theater Company play with music, directed by Matt Sorensen, a Visiting Professor of Dramatic Arts in UConn’s Puppet Arts Program. In conversation with Ballard Institute Director John Bell, Sorensen and Puppet Arts MFA student designers Harley Walker and Mel Carter will discuss the process of conceiving and creating puppetry elements for this acclaimed Off-Broadway production about the aging caretaker of the moon, and the conflicts of duty and love he faces.

Admission to the forum is free (donations greatly appreciated!), and refreshments will be served. 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.

To purchase tickets for The Old Man and the Old Moon, visit crt.uconn.edu.