2026 UConn Fall Puppet Slam at von der Mehden Recital Hall

The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry and the UConn Puppet Arts Program present new and experimental short works by professional puppeteers and performers. Featured artists include New York-based puppeteer J Hann and UConn Puppet Arts alum Esme Roszel performing an excerpt from Bequeathed, a surreal, semi-autobiographical tale about the fight to unravel the gender binary. The slam also includes work by UConn Art and Art History professor John O'Donnell and new works by graduate and undergraduate students from the UConn Puppet Arts Program. Mansfield's Waldron's Studio 88 returns as the Puppet Slam house band, and performances are recommended for mature audiences.