As many ask what they can do in the light of a new reality that is dawning around us - we are humbled and exhilarated to look to Bread and Puppet Theatre for an answer - or at the very least a new set of questions.
Help us welcome this historic political-art practice collective to Race Brook Lodge as they tour New England and the Hudson Valley this November. This tour presents a double bill, directed by Peter Schumann, crafted for this exact moment: The Possibilitarian Imperative Everything Show, followed by Gray Lady Cantata #9.
The word “possibiltarian” is a Marc Estrin translation of Robert Musil’s term “möglichkeitsmensch” from his novel The Man Without Qualities, about the collapse of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The term was invigorated by Margaret Thatcher’s remark on capitalism: “there is no alternative,” to which we respond: “there are a thousand alternatives!” Of The Possibilitarian Imperative Everything Show, director Peter Schumann reminds us that, “at a time when Freedom and Democracy slaughter babies and moms by the dozen every day and don’t even seem to have any understanding of what they are doing to the world or to themselves, we Possibilitarians, operating on the Principle of Hope, put on our boots to kick aside impossibility and declare new possibility in response to this obviously despaired situation.”
Gray Lady Cantata #9 continues a series of shows made in the 60’s and 70’s in response to the Vietnam War. This new iteration features texts from Palestinians living through the war in Gaza. With the iconic gray lady puppets from the original production moving through vignettes both dreamlike and brutal, Gray Lady Cantata #9 offers meditations on grief, war, and resistance.
As always, the shows will include puppets large and small, music, up-to-the-minute politics, and spectacles not to be missed. After the show Bread & Puppet will serve its famous sourdough rye bread with aioli, and Bread & Puppet’s “Cheap Art” – books, posters, postcards, pamphlets and banners from the Bread & Puppet Press – will be for sale.
Stay over with us! Race Brook is offering a 10% discount on overnight accommodations for guests attending BREAD & PUPPET THEATRE’S show using code PUPPET. Click here to book your room with the discount now.
Saturday, November 16th
DINNER RESERVATIONS AT THE STAGECOACH TAVERN
Doors 6:30pm, event starts at 7pm
In the Barnspace at Race Brook Lodge
864 South Undermountain road ( AKA Rt 41 ) Sheffield, MATickets: $20
Race Brook Lodge is a hidden gem in The Berkshires, at the foot of Mt. Race and a short hike from the Appalachian trail. The yoga & event barn at Race Brook is simultaneously rustic and sublime, steeped in hundreds of years of New England history. The Stagecoach Tavern is unpretentious fine dining, exquisite farm-to-table cuisine in a relaxed atmosphere. Much of the food is sourced from Race Farm, right on the property!
Bread and Puppet Theater, founded in 1963 by German-American artist Peter Schumann in New York City, is renowned for its politically charged, community-oriented performances and use of large puppets made from papier-mâché. Emerging during the turbulent 1960s, the theater sought to engage audiences in discussions of social justice, anti-war sentiments, and grassroots activism through accessible street theater. Bread and Puppet relocated to Vermont in the 1970s, where they established a self-sustaining commune and hosted "Our Domestic Resurrection Circus," an annual outdoor festival that attracted thousands until it ended in the late 1990s. Schumann's philosophy of "Cheap Art," which promotes art as a daily necessity rather than a commodity, has influenced generations of political theater artists worldwide. Today, Bread and Puppet continues to tour and perform across the globe, delivering powerful messages on contemporary issues like climate change, inequality, and war with the same DIY aesthetic and community-centered ethos that marked its early days.
