Detail, during performance of TINA (There Is No Alternative) Cantastoria. 2017
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Resting under a puppet. 2017
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The founding fathers getting ready for rehearsal. 2017
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Walking on clouds. 2016.
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Puppets are made out of cardboard, and other cheap materials. It’s part of the Bread and Puppet manifesto: Cheap Art, rejecting commercial production values the company attempts to make art accessible to everyone. 2016
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An apprentice during the last meeting before the beginning of the Whatforward Circus. 2016
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Peter Schumann, founder and creative director of Bread and Puppet, follows the 'population' puppets during a rehearsal. 2016
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Sun and Puppets
With the beginning of the summer commences the Bread and Puppet (more info here) summer season at their farm in Glover, Vermont. During the first week the company created, developed and rehearsed various shows that would become the Whatforward Circus and Onward Pageant Sunday shows, as well as Faust 3 and TINA, a cantastoria about Margaret Thatcher's political world, presented on Fridays. The acts evolve, as the season progresses with new segments added, deleted or altered and apprentices, on ocassions, taking on leadership roles within segments.
The company welcomed apprentices-puppeteers from various cities of the United States, but also from St. Thomas, Switzerland, Puerto Rico and Canada. Apprentices become an essential part of the farm as they help with daily chores, besides learning about puppetry. Some of the them spent 9 weeks living in the farm, others will stay for 5 weeks, after which a new batch of apprentices, long time puppeteers collaborator and volunteers will join in the company.
I lived with the company during this week documenting their rehearsals.