UConn Fall Puppet Slam to Feature J Hann and Esme Roszel
The event will showcase an excerpt from BEQUEATHED alongside new works by UConn faculty and students.
The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry and the UConn Puppet Arts Program will present the 2026 UConn Fall Puppet Slam on Friday, Oct. 30, 2026, at 8 p.m. in UConn's von der Mehden Recital Hall located at 875 Coventry Rd, Storrs, CT 06269. The UConn Fall Puppet Slam will feature new and experimental short works by professional puppeteers and performers, including New York-based puppeteer J Hann and UConn Puppet Arts alum Esme Roszel, UConn Art and Art History professor John O'Donnell, as well as new works by UConn Puppet Arts students. Mansfield's Waldron's Studio 88 will return once more as the Puppet Slam house band.
The 2026 UConn Fall Puppet Slam welcomes New York-based fiber artist and puppeteer J Hann and puppeteer Esme Roszel, who will perform a short excerpt from Bequeathed, a surreal, semi-autobiographical tale about the fight to unravel the gender binary. Bequeathed had its world premiere in June at Dixon Place and has received support from The Jim Henson Foundation, Lower Manhattan Cultural Council, New York State Council on the Arts, and Foundation for Contemporary Arts.
The UConn Fall Puppet Slam will also feature work by UConn Art and Art History professor John O'Donnell, as well as new works by graduate and undergraduate students from the UConn Puppet Arts Program. Funding for the slam is made possible, in part, by the Puppet Slam Network. These performances are recommended for mature audiences. Audiences are encouraged to get into the Halloween spirit by attending in costume. Learn more at https://bimp.uconn.edu/2026/10/08/2026-fall-slam/.
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 7:30 p.m. The event will take place in UConn's von der Mehden Recital Hall located at 875 Coventry Rd, Storrs, CT 06269 (Directions and Parking). For more information about the performance or if you require accommodations, please contact Ballard Institute staff at 860-486-8580 or bimp@uconn.edu.
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