I Am the Village: A Puppet Pageant Celebrating the Life and Art of Marc Chagall

I Am the Village: A Puppet Pageant Celebrating the Life and Art of Marc Chagall is an MFA production written by UConn Puppet Arts student Alyson Doyle (’24) and directed by Doyle and Mel Carter, which includes a community puppet-making workshop, a parade, and the performance of the pageant proper each day at the Ballard Institute and in Betsy Paterson Square, all in Downtown Storrs.  

On both April 20 and 21 in Downtown Storrs, the events will begin at 1:30 p.m. with a free, outdoor public puppet-making workshop at the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, where participants can paint an emotive umbrella or fish. At 3:30 you and your creation can be part of a parade around Betsy Paterson Square.  

The I Am the Village pageant will begin in the Square at 4 p.m., and last 45 minutes. Written by Alyson Doyle, directed by Mel Carter and Alyson Doyle, and scored with traditional klezmer songs and new compositions by renowned clarinetist Nat Seelen of Ezekiel’s Wheels Klezmer Band, this outdoor spectacle features giant colorful figures and fantastic performing objects made of cardboard and paper-mâché floating to life to tell a story of acclaimed modernist painter Marc Chagall—from his beginnings as a poor child in the Pale of Settlement to his legacy as one of the most lauded painters in history.   

These are free events; no tickets or registration required. All are welcome, but minors must be accompanied by adults. Seating is not provided for the performance, so bring your own chairs and blankets.   

In case of rain, all events will take place inside the Ballard Institute and Museum of Puppetry, located at 1 Royce Circle, Storrs, Conn. 06268.  

In addition to the workshop and performance, Alyson Doyle will curate an installation in the Ballard Institute Theater that will share more about the history surrounding Chagall’s life, as it pertains to elements of the pageant’s script. This display will be on exhibit during Ballard Institute operating hours from Wednesday, April 17 to Sunday, April 21.   

Learn more at bimp.uconn.edu/2024/03/29/chagall. 

These events are co-sponsored by Mansfield Downtown Partnership.