Bread and Puppet Theater to bring ‘Grasshopper Rebellion’ to Radford University

The Grasshopper Rebellion Circus is performed at Bread and Puppet Theater's outdoor venue in Vermont.

"The Grasshopper Rebellion Circus" is performed at Bread and Puppet Theater's outdoor venue in Vermont.

Five actors control a large puppet in "The Grasshopper Rebellion Circus."
Five actors control a large puppet in "The Grasshopper Rebellion Circus."

On Tuesday, December 4, 2018, Radford University’s College of Visual and Performing Arts will bring a fun and unique performance to campus. Bread and Puppet Theater will perform “The Grasshopper Rebellion Circus” at 7:30 p.m. in the Student Recreation and Wellness Center. “The Grasshopper Rebellion Circus” is a celebration of 6000 years of revolution against human management. The live performance will feature incredible puppetry with a wild variety of creatures and characters, accompanied by music from the Bread and Puppet Circus Band. The event is free and open to the public.

Peter Schumann, Director of Bread and Puppet Theater, says of the production “The Grasshopper Rebellion Circus is a ruthless critique of 6000 years of unhuman history and the uprisings against it, from the battle of Sempach in 1386 when 1300 peasant women and men, equipped with pitchforks and hay rakes overthrew a 4000-strong state-of-the-art army of knights, to the current battles in which ridiculously small numbers of possibilitarians underthrow — from the toes up — the incompetent billionaire democracy again and again.”

Bread and Puppet Theater actors perform wearing paper mâché masks.
Bread and Puppet Theater actors perform wearing paper mâché masks.

To encourage community involvement and make the show more interactive, Bread and Puppet Theater will hold a “Puppets in Performance Workshop” on Monday, December 3, 2018, which will allow up to forty students at Radford University to learn about puppetry. Participants will have an opportunity to perform in “The Grasshopper Rebellion Circus” the following evening.

Bread and Puppet Theater is based out of Glover, Vermont, and has been around since the early 1960s. They are well known for their unique puppetry and activist themes within their performances. Many of the puppets and masks used in their shows are sculpted in clay and covered in paper mâché, with some standing over 20 feet tall. Due to the size and scope of Bread and Puppet Theater performances, many of their events happen at outdoor venues. Radford University will hold the early December event in the Student Recreation and Wellness Center to accommodate the need for a large, open space, while also providing an environment protected from winter weather.

Bread and Puppet Theater was recently featured on the “Wild Travels” television series. This short YouTube clip from that program offers insight into Bread and Puppet Theater's background and ongoing work. 

Bread and Puppet Theater will give a free performance of "The Grasshopper Rebellion Circus" on Tuesday, December 4, 2018.

Nov 16, 2018
Jason S. Hutchens, Ed.D.
5408316237
jshutchens@radford.edu