2015 National Puppetry Festival Set for 8/10-16 at UConn

Puppeteers from 12 nations on five continents and from 40 U.S. states will converge on the campus of the University of Connecticut during the week of Aug. 10-16 for the 2015 National Puppetry Festival, a whirlwind week of puppet-related activities including workshops, master classes and performances.

The festival is presented by Puppeteers of America and is expected to be the largest and most extensive gathering of its kind that will also mark the 50th year of the internationally renowned UConn Puppet Arts Program, which was founded by the legendary Frank W. Ballard. The last time the festival was hosted by UConn was in 1970.

Highlights of the festival will include 20 public performances by more than 25 national and international puppeteers, 30 professional workshops, six visual art exhibitions, "Puppetry in Film" series, a giant puppet parade and nightly Festival Pub Showcase.

Four master puppeteers also will be honored: Caroll and Debbie Spinney of "Sesame Street," Peter Schumann of the politically radical Bread & Puppet Theater and Chuck McCann, the New York children's television star and voice actor.

Among the performances that will showcase the innumerable approaches to the art of puppetry will be:

Shadow puppets by Drama of Works of Brooklyn, NY;

Bunraku and shadow styles of award-winning Bulgarian-born puppeteer Margarita Blush of the UConn faculty;

Brazilian hand-puppets by Chico Simões;

Classic rod puppetry by Chinese Theatre Works of Queens, NY;

Late Night with Eugene O'Neill, a variety show that is based on a late night talk show format.

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