Bread and Puppet
The Bread and Puppet Theater (often known simply as Bread & Puppet) is a politically radical puppet theater, active since the 1960s, currently based in Glover, Vermont. The Theater was founded in 1962–1963 in New York City by Peter Schumann. It was active during the Vietnam War in anti-war protests and is often remembered as a central part of the political spectacle of the time, as its enormous puppets (often ten to fifteen feet tall) were a fixture of many demonstrations. In 1970 the Theater moved to Vermont, first to Goddard College in Plainfield, and then to a farm in Glover where it still resides. The farm is home to a cow, several pigs, puppeteers and chickens, as well as indoor and outdoor performance spaces, a printshop, store and large museum showcasing over four decades of the company’s work. The Bread & Puppet Theater has received National Endowment of the Arts grants and numerous awards from the Puppeteers of America and other organizations.
Peter Schumann is frequently a visiting artist at VSC, most recently in January 2009. These photos are from a visit by the Bread and Puppet troupe, performed for the VSC community (and involving residents as volunteer performers) in February 2009.