Vermont’s internationally renowned Bread & Puppet Theater returns to Barre’s historic Old Labor Hall, 46 Granite Street, on Sunday, April 2 at 3 and 7 p.m. with “Inflammatory Earthling Rants (with help from Kropotkin),” by theater founder, Peter Schumann, along with his troupe of puppeteers, carpenters, bus drivers, musicians, dancers, agitators, and bread-bakers.
The Barre appearance is part of the Circus’ 60th anniversary spring tour.
According to Bread & Puppet: “Earthlings are now aflame and consequently need inflammatory rants, directed against the arsonist: Western Civilization and its incompetent government. The habitual pragmatic communication jargon won’t do, so the ranters have to resort to the original language which was tasked to employ the spells, charms, and incantations needed to confront the disaster in order to instigate change – with help from Kropotkin’s Mutual Aid ideology.”
Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin (1842-1921) was a Russian anarchist, socialist, revolutionary, historian, scientist, philosopher, and activist.
Founded in 1963 on New York City’s Lower East Side, Bread & Puppet Theater has become a Vermont institution since moving to Goddard College in Plainfield and then to Glover in the early 1970s. The theater promotes a visually rich, street-theater brand of performance art filled with music, dance, and slapstick. Its shows are political and spectacular, with huge puppets made of paper maché and cardboard.
As at all Bread and Puppet performances, the show will be followed by free servings of Schumann’s sourdough bread and aioli garlic butter. “Cheap Art” – books, posters, postcards, pamphlets, and banners from the Bread & Puppet Press – will be for sale.
Mask-wearing is highly encouraged.
Tickets are $20 and $15 for students and union members at the door. Children under 12 are free. No one will be turned away for lack of funds. Reservations are not being taken.
For more information call 802-485-4554. The Old Labor Hall’s Website is http://oldlaborhall.com/. The Hall also has a Facebook page: ww.facebook.com/OldLaborHall.