Bread and Puppet – The Circus Show, VT

This summer we completed one of our big goals of living in Vermont: we finally attended a Bread and Puppet outdoor circus performance! And just what is Bread and Puppet you may ask? It’s art, it’s acting, it’s comedy, it’s political theater, it’s a little bit of everything. Let’s have a look at the show we saw. 🙂

blowing ppl out of canyons

In this particular instance the show started with people getting blown out of a cannon.

after the explosion

It was a pretty big explosion as you can tell by the feet sticking up out of the bushes on the right. I didn’t even see that pair of legs the first couple of times I looked at this picture.

custodian at bread and puppet

The custodians did a good job of greeting folks and making sure everyone was sitting in appropriate places.

little guy custodian

I loved the young fella!

child running

Then the flag running got show going.

elephant at bread and puppet

Next different skits were acted out with elaborate costumes and characters.

alligator stilts bread and puppet

Bread and Puppet was founded in 1963 by Peter Schumann in New York City’s Lower East Side.

white heads - bread and puppet

The first productions were about rents, rats, police and other problems of the neighborhood.

zebras at bread and puppet

More complex theater pieces followed with sculpture, music, dance and language becoming integrated.

gorilla at bread and puppet

Puppets grew bigger and bigger.

horses bread and puppet

Many performances were done in the street and annual presentations happened.

older couple bread and puppet

During the Vietnam War, Bread and Puppet had block long processions and pageants involving hundreds of people.

walk thru field bread and puppet

In 1974 Bread and Puppet moved to a farm in Glover, Vermont. A 140 year old barn was transformed into a museum for veteran puppets. We parked near the museum and this is the path we walked to where the outside performance was held.

view of bread and puppet circus

This shot was taken about an hour before the show started. But, my gosh, car after car kept coming. It was non stop and the area in the foreground filled with people and blankets as everyone spread out to watch the show. It was a beautiful day and people just kept coming non-stop.

news clips bread and puppet

In a nutshell, Bread and Puppet is described as political theater. If you can’t make it out, the sign above says ‘water crisis convention.’ This skit was trying to address concerns about the severe drought in California and how it affects us all.

we are all in

Because no matter who  you are, where you are from, WE ARE ALL IN…

same boat

…THE SAME BOAT.

tigers at bread and puppet

And these crazy costumes, amazing band (the band was seriously awesome), creative skits sometimes simply to entertain, sometimes to inform, is the way Bread and Puppet has chosen to address matters they feel are important and happening in the world around us. We all have a limited amount of time on this earth and what a unique way to express oneself. Bread and Puppet continues to be one of the oldest, non-profit, self supporting theatrical companies in the country. They make their money by touring old and new shows both in America and abroad as well as sales from their publications and posters. We have nine of their posters and buy them as gifts. So if you find yourself needing to a reason to make a road trip to Vermont, check out the Bread and Puppet. It is a uniquely cool experience that, well, you just won’t find anywhere else.

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If you go:

Check out the website for show times, directions and more info.

Buy some of their posters.

And don’t skimp on your donation. They ask for a $10 donation for the performances. The first time I went I questioned if it was ‘really going to be worth it’ and when we brought our family, they were questioning. For the amount of work and effort that goes into these performances, oh my gosh, put your donation in. Buy posters. Spread the good karma if you are going to go and watch.

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8 Responses to “Bread and Puppet – The Circus Show, VT

  • A great article about a very unusual ‘puppet’ show! FANTASTIC photos! Vermont certainly has it’s share of fun and interesting things to do.

    • tiffany
      9 years ago

      Vermont certainly does have so many of it’s own interesting and unique things to do. That is one of the reasons we love this state so much and keep coming back. But the Bread and Puppet, it is something we try to go to at least once a year. And this year we were so excited to get to see the outside performance!!!

  • What a great show. Bread And Puppets really was amazing. All the performers on such large stilts were my favorite part of the show.

    • tiffany
      9 years ago

      The performers on stilts were amazing! Some of them even had kids crawling up on their backs. They were running, jumping. And they were so cool to watch! The performance we saw was so impressive. I would go back again and again.

  • Hey, does not mankind with all its glory and gore, yearn to live in peace with all peoples? It is our hope.
    Action speaks more eloquently than words, beautifully done in many skits by the Bread and Puppet theater.
    “Beauty awakens the soul to act.” Dante

    • tiffany
      9 years ago

      What a great quote – thanks for sharing! The skits were so creative. I just love, love, love the creativity from the performances. We have also been to a performance in the cathedral and it just blew us away. Bread and Puppet is just such a unique experience that gets one thinking about the greater world around us.

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