My mother and I have many favorites: Bill Baird and and his famous puppetry sequence, The Lonely Goatherd, in the film version of The Sound of Music the flexible fun puppets, Gumby and Pokey and The Pee-Wee Herman Show with puppet cast members like Globey the Globe and Corky the Robot. While growing up, some of my favorite television shows featured imaginative puppet creations. Over the years, I have developed a deep appreciation for the talent of puppeteers. Recently, Michael worked with a talented puppet designer/fabricator, Travis Lope, a graduate of Ballard, in a production of the Walt Disney classic, The Reluctant Dragon. My son, Michael, is a resident artist at Shakesperience Productions, a Connecticut-based touring troupe for arts education. Shows like Avenue Q, The Lion King, and Little Shop of Horrors were either built or performed by Ballard Institute alumni. The program’s students come from all over the world and are sought after to ply their craft in film, theater, and television. Students enrolled in the program study all aspects of the art form, from the making and manipulation of puppets to playwriting, set and costume design, and music and movement. The University is one of only a few in this country offering B.F.A., M.A., and M.F.A. It has been said that he and Jim Henson made puppetry a valuable tool of expression in this country. In 1965 he founded the University’s puppet arts program, which he directed until he retired in 1989.
Ballard joined the University in 1956 as a theatrical set and technical director. The museum and school of puppetry were founded by a world renowned master of the art of pulling strings, Frank W.
It is one of a small number of institutions where aspiring puppeteers can pursue an advanced degree in puppetry. The Ballard Institute is a school solely dedicated to the art of puppetry.
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