Shadows, squirrels, clowns and whimsy — the contrasting variety and artistic complexity of puppetry as a dramatic art was on full display at the Jorgensen Center for the Performing Arts on Friday, April 11.
The Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry and the University of Connecticut Puppet Arts Program held their Spring Puppet Slam Friday night, welcoming guest performers and students to the stage. Puppeteer sensations Tau Bennett and Charlotte Lily Gaspard, who are both based in New York City, were two among the many performers.
“This was my first show. The puppet arts students always turn up. They are always so vibrant. It was really exciting and fun to watch,” Madison Szymaszek, a second-semester puppet arts student at UConn, said.
The performances truly were vibrant. It is clear that the people on stage care about their work and put in great amounts of effort to demonstrate the themes and ideas they desired to convey.
Gaspard opened the show with her “A Mermaid’s Life Story.” The piece combined Gaspard’s siren-like singing with a mermaid puppet and shadow box to tell her tale.
Not only is Gaspard a creator of puppets and costumes for theater and film, but she is the founder and artistic director of Midnight Radio Show, a shadow puppet sci-fi fairytale theater company based in Brooklyn, N.Y.
The second guest, Bennett, performed his act, “Herbert’s Lament,” later in the evening. The brief show used a human-like puppet to explore the day-to-day life of a broke narcoleptic man who sang a song about losing his mind. Despite exploring dark themes, the piece was comical, as the puppet would often fall asleep and start snoring mid-way through his song.
Bennett has been a puppeteer since he was a child. As he navigated the world of puppeteering in New York, he eventually secured a job with Sesame Street, with his own character, Tamir.
These famous guests were not the only talents of the night, however. UConn Puppet Arts students shared a range of acts throughout the night, with each having its own unique standpoint.
Hand puppets were brought to the stage by Sadie Aiken and Allison Free in “Untitled Clown Show,” while a beautiful shadow dance was demonstrated by Rosie Grunzke. Sol Ramirez touched on Mexican culture and social issues, and gender performance was portrayed intensely by Harley Walker in “Little Chaos.”
A Sabrina Carpenter puppet even came to the stage in “Short n’ Fleece” by Grunzke and Marie Sawyer, as she performed her famous song, “Juno.” “Juno” was sung live by host and Puppet Arts professor, Matt Sorensen, as the puppet danced sensually and energetically around the theater. Fans cheered and yelled, and even tried to shake the puppet’s hand — clearly this fun act was a fan favorite.
Another stand-out performance of the night was “Matthew 7:15” by student performer, Beep Siegel.
“I really liked Siegel because I loved how he conveyed so many emotions with no words,” Szymaszek said.
Siegel started out the act wearing a suit and a sheep mask, which was quickly ripped off to reveal a wolf’s face. The wolf’s eyes glew red on one side and blue on the other. The wolf then bit into a flying eagle puppet, ripping off both wings, again with one bleeding blue and the other red. At the center of the bird was cash. Siegel created a wonderful critique on American politics without even saying a word.
One of the final acts showcased host and Director of Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, John Bell, and puppeteer, Trudi Cohen. They used classic overhead projectors to tell their story.
Wrapping up the night was a very wholesome award ceremony, known as the “Bimpy Awards.” Each performer — including the guest and student performers — received their own extremely specific award that correlated with their act. Seeing all of the performers on stage together taking their final bow showed a sense of community and family that is fostered so beautifully by the arts.