Puppet Arts are a crossroad of many disciplines. Our students develop skills and knowledge in storytelling, design, sculpting, engineering, problem solving, fabrication, musicality, dramatic and comedic acting, directing, video production, writing, criticism, and other areas, as well. Students work autonomously and collaborate in groups, develop their own original work and honor and emulate global traditions of puppetry ranging from Indonesian wayang kulit to Chinese pi ying xi to Punch and Judy.

We welcome applications from prospective students with manifest ability in puppetry, but also from students who are new to the field who are creative, independent thinking, and have a passion for the arts.

Unlike many fields of study in which students take few courses in their major during their early semesters, BFA Dramatic Arts Students begin intensive training in their chosen field immediately upon entering UConn. In a BFA program, approximately two-thirds of your college courses are in your chosen field of study. Most of the remaining credits you will take constitute the university's General Education Requirements in writing, math, history, humanities, science and social science. You will take from one to three general education courses per semester, depending on your semester standing.

PLAN OF STUDY FOR PUPPET ARTS

PUPPETRY B.F.A. REQUIREMENTS

THEATRE PRODUCTION 

A minimum of 7 credits from:

• DRAM 1216: Theatre Production – Lighting and Sound (3)
• DRAM 1217: Theatre Production – Costume and Makeup (3)
• DRAM 1218: Theatre Production – Stagecraft (3)
• DRAM 1282: Practicum in Dramatic Arts (1)

FUNDAMENTALS OF THEATRE AND PUPPETRY 

All 30 credits from:

• DRAM 1201: Drafting for the Theatre (3)
• DRAM 1202: Computer Drafting for the Theatre (3)
• DRAM 1207: Fundamentals of Design (3)
• DRAM 1209: Drawing and Painting Techniques for the Theatre (3)
• DRAM 1501: Introduction to World Puppetry (3)
• DRAM 3610: Movement Based Performance for the Puppet Theatre I (3)
• DRAM 3610: Movement Based Performance for the Puppet Theatre II (3)
• DRAM 2130: Drama and Performance Histories I (3)
• DRAM 2131: Drama and Performance Histories II (3)
• DRAM 3612: Plays for Puppet Theatre (3)

PUPPETRY TECHNIQUES 

24 credits from:

• DRAM 3601: Mask Theatre (3)
• DRAM 3602: Paper Sculpture (3)
• DRAM 3603: Rod Puppetry (3)
• DRAM 3604: Puppetry in Television (3)
• DRAM 3605: Shadow Theatre (3)
• DRAM 3607: Materials Techniques (3)
• DRAM 3608: Hand Puppetry (3)
• DRAM 3609: UV/Czech Black Theatre (3)
• DRAM 3614: Toy Theatre (3)
• DRAM 3615: Object Theatre (3)

THEATRE AND PUPPETRY THEORY AND HISTORY

6 credits from:

• DRAM 2136/W: Asian Theatre and Performance (3)
• DRAM 3130: Women in Theatre (3)
• DRAM 3131W: African American Theatre (3)
• DRAM 3132: African American Women Playwrights (3)
• DRAM 3133: Latina/o Theatre (3)
• DRAM 3137: Documentary Theatre (3)
• DRAM 3138: Trends in Contemporary Theatre (3)
• DRAM 3139: Theatre and Human Rights (3)
• DRAM 3611: Trends in Contemporary American Puppet Theatre (3)
• DRAM 4135W: Advanced Topics in Theatre and Performance (3)
• DRAM 4711W: The Director in the Theatre (3)

PRACTICAL EXPERIENCE

4 credits from:

• DRAM 3182: Practicum in Dramatic Arts (1)

THEATRE DESIGN

6 credits from:

• DRAM 3201: Scene Construction (3)
• DRAM 3220: Sound for the Theatre (3)
• DRAM 3301: Scene Design (3)
• DRAM 3401: Costume History (3)
• DRAM 3402: Costume Design (3)
• DRAM 3501: Lighting Design (3)

Other courses available in Puppetry-related areas.

Puppetry students must own a personal portable computer that meets or exceeds posted departmental performance standards. It is recommended that students purchase the latest version of Adobe’s Creative Cloud for Education and install it on their personal computer.

In terms of hardware, students may choose either an Apple MacBook Pro or a Windows-based laptop with the following components.

Minimum:
Processor: 3.1GHz dual-core Intel Core i5
Memory: 8 GB
Storage: 256 GB SSD
Protection Plan

Recommended:
Processor: 2.9GHz quad-core Intel Core i7
Memory: 16 GB
Storage: 512 GB SSD
Protection Plan