being served after a performance
Selected performances Fire (1965) An hour long play that critiqued the ongoing war in Vietnam. It was dedicated to American protesters who died after setting fire to themselves and depicted life for Vietnamese villagers during the war.
Birdcatcher in Hell (1971) A
kyōgen that critiqued
President Nixon's pardoning of soldiers involved in the
My Lai massacre.
Stations of the Cross (1972) Described by
Larry Gordon, at the time the general manager of the company, as a "partially metaphoric [and] partially literal" rendering,
Stations of the Cross was a contemporary interpretation of the
New Testament story of Jesus' suffering on the way to his eventual
crucifixion. Gordon provided the music direction for the production, the first time
Sacred Harp music was performed at Bread and Puppet. Elka Schumann stated that the production was also a metaphor for the
Cuban Missile Crisis. Taiwan is the first Asian country to show the new version of
Joan of Arc in 2009.
Mending the Sky/Bu Tian (1994) A collaboration between Bread and Puppet Theater and the 425 Environmental Theatre in Taipei, Taiwan. The play focused on current pollution issues in Taiwan through references to traditional Chinese mythology. In particular, the show depicted the goddess
Nüwa and called attention to the pollution of the
Tamsui River in its first performances. Later performances focused on different geographical features affected by pollution depending on where the show took place. For example, the work focused on the
Love River when it was shown in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Overall, the effectiveness of this collaboration was called into question because many of the members of the 425 Environmental Theatre engaged in environmentally harmful practices (such as smoking) and a part of the show involved burning a puppet which created a considerable amount of black smoke. Still, the work received praise from critics for its relevant social messages.
''Bread Baker's Cantata'' (1999) Performed alongside the revival of
Joan of Arc. It was a slow paced play that depicted an old woman's last day on Earth using singers and actors.
Other performances Shows not described above are shown in chronological order in the tables below, by decade of their first performance.
Books and publications In addition to the theater, some of the Bread & Puppet puppeteers operate the
Bread & Puppet Press, directed by Elka Schumann, who is Peter Schumann's wife (and granddaughter of
Scott Nearing). The press produces posters, cards and books on the theater's themes as well as other forms of "cheap art". Publications from the Bread & Puppet Press include: • Cheap art manifestos •
10 Purposes of Cheap Art •
Importance of Cheap Art •
Why Cheap Art? • Comics •
40 How Tos •
Courage •
Life and Death of Charolette Solomon •
Off to Lubberland •
Planet Kasper Volume I •
We Grass == Notable contributors ==