As part of its popular Summertime Saturday Puppet Show Series of new works by UConn Puppet Arts students and alumni for family audiences, the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at the University of Connecticut will present Canteen Tales: The Curse of Bread Beard by UConn Puppet Arts MFA student and Connecticut native Shane McNeal on Saturday, July 1 at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the Ballard Institute Theater located at 1 Royce Circle, Storrs Center.
In Canteen Tales, McNeal's Chef Bernard serves up a second helping of fun as he tells the story of wannabe pirate Sidney Salts, who hunts for the legendary treasure of Bread Beard the Pirate, the most feared privateer to sail the Peppercorn Sea! But Sidney’s journey won’t be all cinnamon and sugar. He’ll have to deal with beguiling buccaneers, salty sea monsters, and ghastly ghosts in order to dig up fame, fortune and glory! Making clever use of object theater, improvisation and audience interaction, The Curse of Bread Beard is a seaworthy second chapter in McNeal's Canteen Tales series. This show is recommended for all ages.
Shane McNeal, MFA candidate in the UConn Puppet Arts Program, has been creating, designing, and performing for puppet theater and film since 2008. He has worked as a puppeteer with a wide range of artists and organizations including the Silk City Chorus, Hartford-based artist Anne Cubberly, Connecticut Repertory Theatre, and the Boston Pops. He returns to the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry after his family-friendly performances of Canteen Tales: Quest for the Golden Spork and Victoria’s Not So Bedtime Stories, which debuted in last year’s Summertime Saturday Puppet Show Series.
Admission is $6 for children (12 years and under), $8 for adults.
Tickets can be purchased in advance at the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, by calling 860.486.8580, or online at bimp.ticketleap.com. A surcharge will be added to any purchases made online. Tickets may also be purchased at the Ballard Institute on the day of performance starting at 10 a.m. There will be open seating, and no reservations. Visitors can park in the Storrs Center Garage located at 33 Royce Circle. Parking in the Storrs Center Garage is free for the first two hours and $1 per hour thereafter, with a daily maximum charge of $8. For more information about these performances, visit bimp.uconn.edu or call 860.486.8580.
For more information, contact: Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry at (860)486-8580 or bimp@uconn.edu