Our trip to Bread and Puppet Theater

I got to meet Peter Schumann

My husband and I planned our last vacation trip around seeing the Bread and Puppet Theater in Glover, Vermont.  A friend had told me about this puppet troupe a few years back.  Peter Schumann, the founder and director of Bread and Puppet, started the puppet group back in 1963.  He still continues to direct and travel with the theater group.  We had the privilege to be able to visit their Museum that holds massive paper mache puppets from the past 50 years.  It is held in a large Barn on Peter's land in Glover.  I was in heaven looking at all of the creative paper mache puppets.  

As we walked through the magical barn, looking at all of the creativity, we could hear a group of college students rehearsing with Peter.  
We also were able to watch one of their performances that was held in Bellows Falls Opera House.  We saw the play called "Birdcatcher in Hell" which was originally done in 1971.  They even had some of the original cast members from the 1971 play.  
I was thrilled when we sat down in the theater and noticed Peter Schumann sitting right in front of us.  I had to introduce myself and told him about the puppets I had made in the past.  He was very interested and wanted to hear how I constructed them.  That was an honor to meet him in person.

Performers from Birdcatcher in Hell

  

Some day I would love to go back to Glover and see one of their outdoor plays, which are performed in a huge field on Peter's land OR even better than that would be to participate in their apprenticeship program during the summer.  

To find out more about Bread and Puppet Theater visit:  http://breadandpuppet.org/

We believe in puppet theater as a wholesome and powerful language that can touch men and women and children alike, and we hope that our plays are true and are saying what has to be said, and that they add to your enjoyment and enlightment.”

–Peter Schumann