The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry to Kick Off Fall Puppet Forum Series

As part of its Fall Puppet Forum Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will host four free scintillating discussions with puppeteers, producers, scholars, and performers on Thursday evenings at 7:00 p.m. September through December at in the Ballard Institute Theater, located at 1 Royce Circle in Storrs Center.

The Fall Puppet Forum schedule will include the following talks:

September 21: "Building Community with Puppets: Boston's Puppeteers Cooperative," with Sara Peattie-Puppeteers Cooperative co-founder Sara Peattie explains how and why making giant puppets with and for the community can be a spectacular success.

October 12: "Puppet Survival: The Art of Producing and Performing Puppet Shows," with Crabgrass Puppet Theatre and Liz Joyce-How do puppeteers make a living practicing their age-old arts in the 21st century? Vermont-based Crabgrass Puppet Theatre and Liz Joyce from Long Island's Goat on a Boat Puppet Theatre explain the challenges and joys of the puppet business.

November 30: "Puppet Riches: The Angst Collection at Yale University," with Matthew Cohen-Famed puppet scholar and rod-puppet master Matthew Cohen discusses the rich and exciting details of the new Angst collection of over 20,000 Javanese puppets at Yale University-the largest collection of Indonesian puppets and related material ever given to a collecting institution.

December 7: "Mascots!: Sport Spectacle in the 21st Century," with AJ Mass, David Raymond-Mask spectacle reaches millions of Americans on a daily basis in stadiums throughout the county. How and why do sports mascots inspire and enthrall modern audiences? Join mascot builders and performers David Raymond and AJ Mass as they explain the magic of the mask.

Admission to this event 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. Visitors can park in the Storrs Center Garage located at 33 Royce Circle. Parking in the Storrs Center Garage is free for the first two hours and $1 per hour thereafter, with a daily maximum charge of $8. Forums will be broadcast via Facebook Live. Call 860-486-8580for more information orbimp.uconn.edu.

The Ballard Institute & Museum of Puppetry is located at 1 Royce Circle, Suite 101B, Storrs, CT 06268.

Pictured: Puppet scholar and rod-puppet master Matthew Cohen (left); Puppeteer, writer, and director Liz Joyce (right).

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