The Domestic Resurrection Circus After Bread & Puppet's first decade in
New York City, Schumann decided to take an offer from
Goddard College in
Plainfield, Vermont, to become the college's first theater-in-residence. After a few years, Schumann composed his first Domestic Resurrection Circus. Blending vaudeville comedy with political commentary, as well as the company's trademark giant puppets, the Circus became a tradition each summer. After Schumann moved to
Glover, Vermont, in 1973, the Circuses continued. The Domestic Resurrection Circus's last year was 1998, when over 30,000 people attended. Since then, a smaller circus is performed every weekend during the summer.
Palestine exhibits In 2007 Schumann premiered "Independence Paintings: Inspired by Four Stories" in
Boston and
Burlington, Vermont. The series was inspired by ten days Schumann spent in the Occupied Territories of
Palestine, as well as
John Hersey's 'The Wall', a graphic account of the birth, development, and destruction of the
Warsaw Ghetto, the largest of the Jewish ghettos established by
Nazi Germany during the Jewish
Holocaust. The series proved controversial, accusations Schumann denied, stating that "I'm not saying that what's happening in Palestine is the same as what happened in Warsaw ... but it's certainly a reminder."
The Persians In the summer of 2021, Schumann adapted
Aeschylus's 472 BCE tragedy "
The Persians," which then toured to Vermont, Chicago, New York, and Connecticut. The production included a prologue called "Homo Sapiens, Humanity, and the Chair," which used
cantastoria storytelling technique with a series of bedsheet paintings mounted sequentially on wooden poles. The prologue featured two characters—a masked "Homo Sapiens" and an unmasked "Humanity" character —and depicted Humanity becoming "unglued from the Chair" to introduce the ancient Greek play. According to Schumann's text, Humanity announces that "The Persians, written by Mr. Aeschylus," is "no celebration whatsoever, but instead a giant lamentation for the defeated archenemy." The production incorporated thirteen bedsheet paintings specifically created for the show, representing part of Schumann's practice of using his painted works as theatrical elements during this period of his career from 2020-2023. ==Published works==