Sheffield— On Saturday, November 16th from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., Race Brook Lodge presents Bread and Puppet Theater.
As many ask what they can do in the light of a new reality that is dawning around us, we are humbled and exhilarated to look to Bread and Puppet Theatre for an answer, or at the very least a new set of questions.
Bread and Puppet Theater, founded in 1963 by German-American artist Peter Schumann in New York City, is renowned for its politically charged, community-oriented performances and use of large puppets made from papier-mâché. Emerging during the turbulent 1960s, the theater sought to engage audiences in discussions of social justice, anti-war sentiments, and grassroots activism through accessible street theater. Bread and Puppet relocated to Vermont in the 1970s, where they established a self-sustaining commune and hosted “Our Domestic Resurrection Circus,” an annual outdoor festival that attracted thousands until it ended in the late 1990s.
Bread and Puppet Theatre will perform “Gray Lady Cantata #9,” continuing a series of shows made in the 60’s and 70’s in response to the Vietnam War. This new iteration features texts from Palestinians living through the war in Gaza. With the iconic gray lady puppets from the original production moving through vignettes both dreamlike and brutal, “Gray Lady Cantata #9” offers meditations on grief, war, and resistance. As always, the shows will include puppets large and small, music, up-to-the-minute politics, and spectacles not to be missed. After the show Bread & Puppet will serve its famous sourdough rye bread with aioli.
The performance is on Saturday, November 16th from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., in the Barnspace at Race Brook Lodge, located at 864 South Undermountain Road in Sheffield. The doors open at 6:30 p.m. Tickets and more infuriation can be found online.