Ballard Institute to Host Free Puppet-Building Workshops for Mansfield Festival

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 new pageant production 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. 12 and 13, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at the Ballard Institute, located at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs.

Produced in collaboration with UConn's Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the Connecticut State Museum of Natural History, with live music by Waldron's Studio 88, From Microscopic to Mighty: A Connecticut Underwater Adventure will take audiences on an underwater journey to discover how some of the tiniest living things—phytoplankton—help support an incredible web of life, from schools of fish and playful seals to magnificent turtles and whales, reminding us that every living thing has an important role in keeping our waters healthy. From Microscopic to Mighty will be an exciting family-friendly spectacle performed at the Celebrate Mansfield Festival on the afternoon of Sept. 26.

No experience is necessary to participate in these free community puppet-building workshops. Space is limited, so advance registration is strongly encouraged. Participants may attend one or both days and should register for the 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and/or 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. time slot(s). Minors must be accompanied by an adult. To register for the workshop, visit www.ticketleap.events/tickets/bimp-0/2026-cmf. If you require accommodation to participate, contact the Ballard Institute at bimp@uconn.edu or 860-486-8580.