The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry and the UConn Puppet Arts Program will present the 2023 UConn Fall Puppet Slam on Friday, Oct. 13, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. in UConn’s Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre, on the lower level of the Jorgensen Performing Arts Center at2132 Hillside Road, Storrs, CT 06269. The UConn Fall Puppet Slam will feature new and experimental short works by professional puppeteers and performers from around the Northeast, including Christine Dempsey and New York City’s Emmanuel Elpenord, as well as new works by UConn Puppet Arts students, and music by UConn student punk-reggae band the Solgyres.
New England-based fabricator and puppeteer Christine Dempsey will perform Hunger, a humorous tale of poor decisions made when drinking on an empty stomach; and What We Have Left, a solo performance exploring grief and loss through the objects loved ones have left behind. Coney Island-based puppeteer Emmanuel Elpenord will perform The Choose-Your-Own-Adventures of Turtle Boy, in which shy yet rowdy Turtle Boy leads the audience through an action movie of their own making–Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles meets John Wick. The UConn Fall Puppet Slam will also feature new works by graduate and undergraduate students from the UConn Puppet Arts Program, and, for the first time, a house band: the Solgyres. Funding for the UConn Fall Puppet Slam is made possible in part by the Puppet Slam Network. These performances are recommended for mature audiences. The UConn Fall Puppet Slam is free and open to the public; donations are greatly appreciated. Seating is limited and is on a first-come, first-served basis. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. The event will take place in UConn’s Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre, located at2132 Hillside Road, Storrs, Conn. 06269, in the lower level. (use rear entrance). For directions to the Harriet S. Jorgensen Theatre, visit crt.uconn.edu.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.
The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will once again offer fall community puppet-building workshops to design and build life-size and over-life-size puppets for a newReading the Book of Mansfieldpageant to be performed at the Celebrate Mansfield Festival in Downtown Storrs. These free workshops will be led by internationally acclaimed puppeteer and pageant director Sara Peattie of Boston’s Puppeteers Cooperative, and will take place Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 23 and 24, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at the Ballard Institute, located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs.
Reading the Book of Mansfieldwill explore places, people, and things that make Mansfield unique! Workshop participants will collaborate to create puppets and masks representing what they love most about Mansfield, and will be invited to perform their creations in the community pageantas part of the 20th-annual Celebrate Mansfield Festival on the afternoon of Saturday, Sept. 30.
No experience is necessary to participate in these free community puppet-building workshops. Space is limited, so advance registration is strongly encouraged. Participants can come for one or both days but should register for the 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. or/and 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. time slot(s). Minors must be accompanied by an adult. To register for the workshop, visitbimp.ticketleap.com/2023-cmf. 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 and the Mansfield Downtown Partnership, Inc. For more information about the 20th-annual Celebrate Mansfield Festival, visit downtownstorrsfestival.org.
To kick off its 2023 Fall Puppet Forum Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry is pleased to host Shadow Puppetry and Digital Animationon Monday, Sept. 18, 2023 at 7 p.m. in the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs. The forum features Song of the North director Hamid Rahmanian and UConn alumni now performing as puppeteers in the production. It will also be broadcast via Ballard Institute Facebook Live (facebook.com/BallardInstitute).
In conjunction with the performance of his latest production, Song of the North,at UConn’s Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts, designer and director Hamid Rahmanian will join puppeteer cast members Esme Roszel, Ray Dondero, and Harrison Greene (all UConn alumni) and Ballard Institute director John Bell in a discussion about the innovative combinations of live and digital puppetry which Rahmanian and his colleagues have developed. Rahmanian’s initial interests in illustration and graphic arts shifted to theater, and his ground-breaking work with shadows and digital media to create numerous theater productions, including the UNIMA-USA award-winning Feathers of Fire (2016). Together with company members he will discuss how the design, construction, and performance of Song of the North came about. Song of the North will be performed on Thursday, Sept. 21 at 7:30 p.m. at Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts. Tickets are now on sale. This forum is co-sponsored by Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts. To learn more about this forum, visit bimp.uconn.edu/2023/08/22/rahmanian-forum/.
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.
To kick off its 2023 Fall Puppet Performance Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut is pleased to bring back the popular Stevens Puppets, directed by Dan and Zan Raynor, to perform their marionette production The Sleeping Beauty on 9/16 at 11 a.m. in the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs.
The famed Stevens Puppets company, founded in 1934, brings to life this classic tale with hand-carved, beautifully costumed marionettes, sets, and scenery, creating a spellbinding spectacle with magical effect. Accompanied by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s celebrated 1890 ballet score, the production features a compelling script by Martin Stevens (the acclaimed founder of the company), and spectacular costumes by Marge Stevens. Recommended for all ages. The show runtime is approximately 40 minutes, with a demonstration after the show.
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 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 orbimp@uconn.edu.
Stevens Puppets was founded in 1933 by the Peabody Award winning Martin Stevens, preeminent American puppeteer and founder of the Puppeteers of America. With his wife, Margi, Martin Stevens created ground-breaking touring marionette shows which are featured in books, in museums, and on tour. Stevens’ marionettes and stage design have influenced generations of puppeteers in America and abroad, often cited as artistic benchmarks and industry standards. Dan and Zan Raynor, the owners, have been with Stevens Puppets for over 20 years, each coming from live theatre backgrounds of acting and directing professionally. Dan holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre and Zan holds a Master of Theology with a doctorate in Canon Law. Dan has taught theatre at the Northwest Arkansas Academy of Fine Arts and directed professionally for theatres in several states, including televised events in California. He has performed with and directed many professional musicians like Neil Young and Huey Lewis, as well as acting professionally with many theatre companies in California. In addition to performing on stage as an actor and dancer, Zan has directed high school and college theatre programs, as well as designing lights, costumes, and choreography for numerous theatre companies in the Midwest and Northeast. Zan has taught every level of school, from Montessori preschool through University classes. She has been a high school principal as well as theatre and Latin teacher. They divide their time between studio artwork, both original and restoration, training other performing artists, managing complex tours, and performing themselves all around the country at schools, libraries, festivals, and fairs.
Mindful that they are stewards of this important legacy, Dan and Zan Raynor lovingly restore the original Stevens’ productions, ensuring that future generations continue to enjoy these historic treasures. They also create new productions of classic stories with hand-carved casts of characters in the tradition of the master and manage tours throughout the country performed by puppeteers they have personally chosen and apprenticed. Dan and Zan have recently completed the restorations of “The Sleeping Beauty”, Rumplestiltskin”, “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, “Aladdin”, and “The Wizard of Oz”. These marionette plays feature Martin and Margi Stevens’ original puppets, Margi’s period costumes, the Stevens’ hand painted scenery, all lovingly and authentically restored or re-created by Zan and Dan Raynor. Fun fact. The “fly-apart” marionette of Rumplestiltskin was the first of its kind, an original innovation of Martin Stevens and a keystone of his company’s patrimony. In February 2018, Zan began writing the script for the first new marionette show since 1999, “Goldilocks and the Three Bears”. In February 2019 she completed the artwork for the show and it happily joined the lineup of touring shows.
Jeghetto’s Variety Show is an action-packed performance featuring Jeghetto’s unique style of finely crafted and ingeniously engineered cardboard puppets. This show is for all ages. The show runtime is approximately 30 minutes. Jeghetto is a self-taught master builder and puppeteer residing in North Carolina. His puppets are abstract moving sculptures made of mostly found and recycled materials. He has received two grants from the Jim Henson Foundation prior to becoming a Foundation board member himself. Jeghetto has worked with Missy Elliott, Pharrell Williams, Alec Baldwin and Terence Nance; was a guest on The Steve Harvey Show and performed puppetry on The Voice and HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness. Jeghetto performed and exhibited his work in the Ballard Institute’s landmark Living Objects: African American Puppetryexhibition and festival in 2018 and 2019. To learn more about Jeghetto, visit jeghetto.com.
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 atbimp.ticketleap.com. There will be open seating.
As part of its 2023 Spring Puppet Performance Series, the Ballard Institute is pleased to present Cardboard Explosion! by Brad Shur of Paper Heart Puppets on July 22, 2023 at 11 a.m. in Betsy Paterson Square in Downtown Storrs.
Cardboard Explosion! brings four original stories to life using nothing but cardboard and the power of your imagination. With help from the audience, puppeteer Brad Shur transforms simple cardboard shapes into elaborate puppet characters, then brings them to life right before your eyes.
Founded in 2017 by Brad Shur, Paper Heart Puppets is dedicated to sharing and expanding the art of puppetry. Headquartered in Poughkeepsie, New York, the company offers touring shows, workshops, and custom puppet building. Puppeteer, puppet builder, and arts educator Brad Shur began performing as a student at Rhode Island School of Design. In 2009, he became the Resident Artist at Puppet Showplace Theater in Brookline, Mass. where he was lead teaching artist and touring puppeteer for eight years. During that time, Brad developed six original shows and revived several classic shows created by Paul Vincent Davis.
Due to generous support during our 2023 UConn Gives campaign, admission is free, but donations are encouraged. Reservations are not required. Chairs will not be provided, and audience members are encouraged to bring their own blankets and seating. Seating space will be first come, first served. In the event of inclement weather the show will be rescheduled for Sunday, July 23 at 11 a.m. ET. This performance is co-sponsored by the Mansfield Downtown Partnership.
For more information, or if you require accommodation to attend this event, please contact Ballard Institute staff at 860.486.8580 or bimp@uconn.edu.
Because of the chance of rain and some soggy grass, we will host Oma by Sandglass Theater in the Ballard Institute Theater today at 11AM! Seating will be provided, so get out of the rain and join us for a puppet show!
This new family show by Shoshana Bass and Jana Zeller is an intergenerational tale revolving around Grandma or “Oma.” It is her birthday and all are preparing for the celebration. While the grown-ups manage phone calls, playdate logistics, and other such tasks, the children get into mischief with party decorating, present wrapping, and cake baking. Finally they all gather around for one of Oma’s stories, told with yarn. One character emerges from the tangle of wool and nearly ruins the party. But not to worry, all ends well at Oma’s house.
Sandglass Theater is a renowned company which combines puppets with music, actors, and visual imagery. Since 1982, the company’s productions have toured internationally in over 30 countries, performing in theaters, festivals, and cultural institutions, winning many international awards. Sandglass is dedicated to the arts of theater and puppetry as means of exploring contemporary issues, inspiring dialogue, and sparking wonder. Learn more about Sandglass Theater: sandglasstheater.org.
Due to generous support during our 2023 UConn Gives campaign, admission is free, but donations are encouraged. Reservations are not required.
For more information, or if you require accommodation to attend this event, please contact Ballard Institute staff at 860.486.8580 or bimp@uconn.edu.
In response to an outpouring of interest in the work of puppeteer Ralph Lee, following his death on May 12, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut has decided to extend its current exhibition Myths, Legends, and Spectacle: Masks and Puppets of Ralph Leethrough July 9, 2023, so more people can see the work of this acknowledged puppet master.
For over 60 years, Ralph Lee created masks and puppets for wide-ranging theater and dance projects and public celebrations celebrating vital elements of the creatures, characters, demons or deities performed. Myths, Legends, and Spectacle features masks, puppets, and giant figures from Ralph Lee’s robust career as Artistic Director of the Mettawee River Theatre Company, as well as his collaborations with dance and theater companies including Erick Hawkins Dance Company, the Repertory Theatre of Lincoln Center, and Jean Erdman’s Theater of the Open Eye. The exhibition includes masks and giant figures that appeared in the Greenwich Village Halloween Parade, co-founded and directed by Ralph Lee for its first 12 years. Lee’s work is marked by deep connections to global myths and legends, and expressions of our essential connection to the natural world.
This exhibition will now close on Sunday, July 9. The Ballard Institute will be closed through Aug. 4 for the installation of our new exhibit, Tradition and Revolution in Indian Shadow Puppetry, curated by Rahul Koonathara, which will open on Aug. 4 at 4:30 p.m.
As part of its 2023 Summertime Saturday Puppet Show Series, the Ballard Institute will present Marvelous Metamorphoses by Connecticut-based Sova Dance & Puppet Theater on July 8 at 11 a.m. ET in Betsy Paterson Square in Downtown Storrs.
Bring the family to an engaging Sova Dance & Puppet Theater performance that brings nature’s cycles to life through song, dance and the art of puppetry. Celebrate beautiful transformations in our world and the ecological health of our planet! Caterpillar to butterfly, polliwog to frog, and more! Performers dance and sing their way through these cycles and celebrate ecological health on our planet.
Sova Dance & Puppet Theater celebrates humanity and the environment by engaging audiences with live performance, communicating that which cannot be described in words, and making art accessible to communities around the globe. Learn more about Sova Dance & Puppet Theater at sovatheater.com.
Due to generous support during our 2023 UConn Gives campaign, admission is free, but donations are encouraged. Reservations are not required. Chairs will not be provided, and audience members are encouraged to bring their own blankets and seating. Seating space will be first come, first served. In the event of inclement weather, the show will be rescheduled for Sunday, July 9 at 11 a.m. ET. This performance is co-sponsored by the Mansfield Downtown Partnership.
