Ballard Institute to Host Free Outdoor Summertime Puppet Show Series in Storrs

The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will present its 2026 Summertime Puppet Show Series with free, outdoor, family-friendly puppet shows on three Saturdays in July at 11 a.m. on Betsy Paterson Square in Downtown Storrs. This summer's series includes the following exciting shows:

July 11: SpinS by Janoah the Jester | A wildly dizzying whirl of juggling, giggling magic, movement, and puppetry, with a pajama-clad unicyclist playing with clothes-pin towers, erratic toothbrushes, and piles of props in a solo circus that will create gargantuan grins.

July 18: Sing-A-Long with Nappy's Puppets | Join in the fun as famed Connecticut puppeteer Jim Napolitano of Nappy's Puppets presents some of the silliest sing-a-long songs known to mankind.

July 25: Fairies of the Seasons by Talking Hands Theatre | Talking Hands Theatre presents this magical puppet show set on a handmade dress that twirls as the year turns. Beautiful fairy puppets and hand-felted animals invite the audience to move, sing, and help the fairies find their way back to the season where each one belongs.

Reservations are not required. Chairs will not be provided, and audience members are encouraged to bring their own blankets and seating. Seating space will be first come, first served. In case of rain, the shows will take place in the Ballard Institute Theater at 1 Royce Circle in Downtown Storrs. For more information, visit https://bimp.uconn.edu/2026/06/30/2026-summer-series/.

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