For its 2017 Spring Puppet Forum Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will host four free scintillating discussions with puppeteers, animators, designers, producers, and writers on Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. in February through April at in the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Storrs Center. The Spring Puppet Forum schedule will include the following talks:
February 8: The Business of Puppetry with Bonnie Duncan, Roxie Myhrum, and Matt Acheson
What combinations of artistry, entrepreneurship, and management are needed for success in 21st-century puppetry? Join Roxie Myhrum, Artistic Director of Puppet Showplace Theater; acclaimed Boston-area puppeteer and dancer Bonnie Duncan; and New York City puppet designer, builder and performer Matt Acheson for an incisive discussion about how to make a living in the arts today.
March 8: Puppetry and Animation with Michael Bannon
Stop-motion animation artist Michael Bannon’s Wreckless Abandon Studios has produced and directed award-winning commercials for scores of companies across the United States, as well as the famous “Little Bob” spokespuppet for Connecticut-based Bob’s Discount Furniture. Hear Michael explain the dynamics and opportunities of contemporary visual storytelling with the arts of stop-motion puppet animation.
March 29: W.A. Dwiggins: Puppetry and Graphic Design with Bruce Kennett
While William Addison Dwiggins (1880-1956) has long been recognized in American puppetry as a singularly innovative early 20th-century modernist, he had an equally influential career as an illustrator, type designer, calligrapher, and book designer. Join Bruce Kennett, author of a forthcoming monograph on Dwiggins, in a fascinating and enlightening discussion of this unique polymath of visual design.
April 12: Banners and Cranks with Clare Dolan and Dave Buchen
In conjunction with the concurrent Banners and Cranks exhibition at the Ballard Institute, curator Clare Dolan, puppeteer and director of Vermont’s Museum of Everyday Life; and Puerto-Rico based puppeteer, author, and visual artist Dave Buchen talk about the old-and-new international painting and performance medium they have nurtured since the first Banners and Cranks festival in 2010.
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. Visit bimp.uconn.edu or call 860-486-8580 for more information.
February 11: Cardboard Explosion! by Brad Shur- Cardboard Explosion! brings five original stories to life using nothing but cardboard and the power of the imagination. With help from the audience, Puppet Showplace Theater Resident Artist Brad Shur transforms simple cardboard shapes into elaborate puppet characters, then brings them to life right before the audience’s eyes.
March 25: Word Play by Good Hearted Entertainment- Word Play uses clowning and puppetry to take audiences on an adventure through the alphabet. Audiences can make friends with vowels, teach tricks to a “C-A-T” and “D-O-G,” and visit a Word Zoo full of surprises. It’s the perfect blend of education and entertainment- a play on words, literally!
April 22: Hansel and Gretel by National Marionette Theatre– In their newest production, National Marionette Theatre brings the most famous of the Grimm Brothers’ stories to life. Featuring exquisitely crafted marionettes, scrolling scenery, and the beautiful music of Engelbert Humperdinck, Hansel and Gretel is sure to delight audiences of all ages!
May 13: The Legend of the Banana Kid by Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers– Little Chucky heads to the Wild West to outwit outlaws in this cowboy adventure! The Legend of the Banana Kid features 20 of Frogtown Mountain Puppeteers’ hand-crafted glove, mouth, and rod puppets, and a slew of flying and twirling Styrofoam bananas.
As the final production of its Fall Puppet Performance Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will present The Snowflake Man by UConn Puppet Arts Program alumna Sarah Frechette of Puppetkabob on Saturday, December 3, 2016. There will be two showings, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., in the Ballard Institute Theater located at 1 Royce Circle, Storrs, CT.
As part of the 2016 Fall Puppet Forum Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will present Object, Image, Text: The Bread & Puppet Press, a discussion with Max Schumann, Executive Director of New York City’s Printed Matter; and Clare Dolan, the founder and Chief Operating Philosopher of Vermont’s Museum of Everyday Life. The forum will take place Wednesday, November 16, 2016 at 7 p.m. in the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Storrs Center.