The Ballard Institute Presents ARJUNA'S MEDITATION as Part of Puppet Series Today

As part of its Spring Puppet Performance Series, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will present Arjuna's Meditation by Matthew Cohen today, May 2, 2015. There will be two showings, at 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., in the Ballard Institute Theater located at 1 Royce Circle in Storrs Center.

Renowned London-based scholar and Javanese wayang kulit shadow puppet performer Matthew Cohen, with composer and performer Jody Diamond, and volunteer gamelan performers from the Storrs community will perform a classic Javanese puppet play about one of the great heroes of the Hindu epic The Mahabharata. This event is co-sponsored by UConn's Asian and Asian American Studies Institute.

Ticket costs: Adults: $10; Students: $7; Kids: $5. Tickets will be sold in advance through the Connecticut Repertory Theatre Box Office, located in the lobby of the Nafe Katter Theatre at 820 Bolton Rd, Storrs CT 06269. Tickets may be purchased in person at the box office, by calling (860) 486-2113, or online through the CRT website. A $3.00 surcharge will be added to any purchases made online or over the phone. Tickets may also be purchased at the Ballard Institute on the day of performances. There will be a limited number of seats. For more information, call (860) 486-8580 or visit bimp.uconn.edu.

Before the shows, Harvard University Artist-in-Residence Jody Diamond, director of Harvard's Gamelan Si Betty, will lead an open gamelan performance workshop with ten community volunteers from 10 a.m. to 12 noon to create a temporary ensemble to accompany Matthew Cohen's performances. Diamond will work with volunteers to create musical accompaniment from a combination of musical sources, including process music, Balinese interlocking rhythms, and arrangements incorporating instruments of Gamelan Si Betty. This workshop is free and open to the general-no experience necessary; an interest in music is helpful! Workshop participants should plan on performing in the 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. performances of Arjuna's Meditation, and will be finished by 4 p.m. Please register for the workshop by contacting the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at bimp@uconn.edu or by phone at 860 486 8585. Pre-registration is required; this workshop will be limited to ten people.

Pictured: Matthew Cohen performing with Javanese wayang kulit shadow puppets.

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