Re:Views Magazine

Humanity and Nature: Environmental Consciousness of Bread and Puppet Theater

by Anna Amelie Sokolová

Bread and Puppet Theater is a performance-art-based group from Glover, Vermont. Since its founding in 1963,1 it has been using play with language, puppetry, movement and music to raise awareness about various sociopolitical issues. From local to global problems, the theatre claims to be one of the oldest sustainable and non-profit theatre companies in the United States of America.2 In both plays and marches, it utilises visual and performative art as a device for resistance and protest. Puppets are specifically designed for each theme that the theatre confronts; however, all are made from similar materials. These materials are either upcycled3 or recycled,4 which plays a substantial role in the meaning behind each design. Using thematic and contextual analysis of Bread and Puppet’s performances, this paper argues that the themes depicted by the puppets are amplified by the sustainable creative processes and ethically sourced materials behind their creation.

The sustainability of Bread and Puppet’s artwork plays an undeniable role in both its creative process and performances. This notion is derived from the Cheap Art philosophy, which is upheld by the founder and director, Peter Schumann. Bread and Puppet’s 1987 booklet What Is Cheap Art acquaints its readers with the philosophy. The core principle is that art should not, under any circumstances, be a privilege.5 In connection to this, Bread and Puppet’s Why Cheap Art Manifesto reformats these beliefs into points: “Art is Not Business! Art Is Food! Art Soothes Pain! Art Wakes Up Sleepers! Art Is Cheap!”6 The creation of Cheap Art cannot be achieved without cheap materials. The theatre uses “scraps of masonite, cardboard and newspaper”7 to create postcards or prints that are sold on its Bread and Puppet Press website or at their shows, purely to raise funds for further performances. Political activist and former volunteer at the theatre, Marc Estrin, addresses Cheap Art in his paper “The Sustainable Energy of the Bread and Puppet Theater: Lessons Outside the Box,” stating that “cheap art inspires the cheap art of life.”8 Donated, upcycled, or similarly sourced materials are used to create moving artworks and encourage puppeteers and viewers to live sustainably. Thus, the materials underline the importance of environmentally mindful conduct and accessible artwork, directly aligning with Schumann’s Cheap Art philosophy.

As a result of this environmentally friendly practice, Bread and Puppet Theater places emphasis on sustainability merely by its designs. According to a study titled “Art, Design and Sustainability: Artist May Become a Key Changer in Environment Sustainability,” artists who attempt to produce works via sustainable means place “environmental consideration at the centre of their work.” Due to a global increase in environmental awareness, artists use sustainable methods with the aim of conserving their surroundings and avoiding the depletion of natural resources.9 Furthermore, clay is used to make the foundation of puppet hands and faces. These are then adorned with papier mâché.10 Clay and paper, initially wood, are natural resources which reflect the environment as a symbol within each performance. This symbolism is a conscious choice. As Sarah Plummer, an academic and a former Bread and Puppet apprentice, states, the puppet creation was not always as sustainable or “as cheap as possible.” According to Plummer, “the company first began making masks and puppets out of Celastic, an expensive, resin-imbued cloth that was lightweight, weatherproof, and durable.”11 Although some of these puppets are repurposed during shows in the present day, this practice was discontinued by Schumann after it was deemed contrary to the theatre’s purpose.12 In Plummer’s words, “the puppets (d)evolved from detail-oriented sculptures to expressionistic masks made from the simplest papier mâché — scraps of cloth and a cornstarch glue.”13 Since this decision, it is not only upcycling, but also recycling that is key. Sculptures that are no longer used are deconstructed and rehydrated back into malleable clay, cardboard is painted over, and older puppets are constantly “harvested for parts.”14 This entire process is embraced and celebrated, including the decomposition or degeneration of such materials.15 These intentional factors enhance the meaning of puppets as performative properties. Puppets themselves become equivalent to sustainability, and thus, each theme that they portray becomes amplified. 

Bread and Puppet’s 2018 Naked Truth Pageant16 presents a prime example. A chorus of puppeteers marches in place and sings an original piece titled “All or Nothing” by Hans Eisler and Bertolt Brecht,17 as it waits to be embraced by a colossal Mother Earth puppet. This puppet is crafted, like many others, with the use of a clay base, constructed from papier mâché and white cotton sheets. The earthy tones of its face and hands point to the resources it comes from. Contrastively, its body, an anthropomorphic18 shape made of white cloth, reflects the personification that people attribute to nature itself. Although it is presented as a higher power or being, it is now inseparable from humanity, which dominates Earth. Puppeteers, who hoist the puppet up with rods and rope, are not hidden or disguised, but are a part of the body. As the puppet closes distance with the chorus, the puppeteers lift statues in a variety of shapes, sizes, and shades of brown. These statues depict nude women, many of whom are holding a child in their arms. And so, all puppet mothers come to be embraced by puppet Mother Earth. The chorus continues to sing as it and Mother Earth march forth to the audience:

Who, oh slave, is going to free you?
Those who stand in darkness near you,
From the lowest depths shall hear you,
In the darkness they shall see you,
Other slaves are going to free you!

So it’s all or nothing!
None or everyone!
One cannot rescue any,
But many can rescue many!
For it’s all or nothing!
None or everyone!19

The lyrics of the song continue to resonate as the puppets move through the Glover fields. Accompanied by the sound of whistling and birdcalls, the unity and solidarity of humanity and nature is celebrated. Creation and the nature of human birth are the most prevalent themes, but even here, the materials underline that human life comes from nature, and nature takes the shape of how humanity treats it. One, in the present day, cannot exist without the other.

Bread and Puppet Theater uses sources from the earth with the intention of avoiding harm to planet Earth. It is procuring and subsequently restoring the resources. In performances which critique systemic injustice and financial power, the resourcefully constructed puppets align themselves with lower-class citizens, with those who have limited resources in society. The use of limited materials mirrors this. As a result, the puppets act as a symbol of unity and resistance.20 Similarly, when bringing attention to war, poverty, or famine, the materials indicate that cheap and accessible resources can effectively raise awareness. It is demonstrated that it takes minimal effort to be helpful to vulnerable or disadvantaged populations. The cheapness of the materials adds another layer to their symbolism. Where this detail also prevails is in performances which approach the topic of animal ethics. For example, in Bread and Puppet’s Uprising of the Beast,21 where animal cruelty and slaughter are protested, the materials amplify this protest. The nonhuman animal puppets are crafted from natural resources and reshaped into something else. Among the plausible interpretations, it is possible to analyse this as a parallel to animals taken from their natural habitats and bred for mass meat production. 

The puppets represent various concepts (e.g. unjust power, embrace of culture, grief and humanity) with the help of elements such as colours or shape consistency incorporated into their designs. However, no matter the specific visuals, all the puppets ultimately look “composed of recycling.”22 This further adheres to the theatre’s anti-capitalistic ideals. Instead of using expensive materials for careful sculpting, the decorative or aesthetically pleasing appearance is not prioritised. Instead, Peter Schumann works toward a design closely resembling the inner theme and meaning,23 using materials at hand as an expansion to the allegory. In the case of performances which are purposefully environmentally conscious, materials accentuate the message relayed. The puppets’ appearances allow Bread and Puppet to explicitly communicate its beliefs in sustainability, its hope in restoring nature, and its resistance against what hurts nature. This unconventional beauty of the puppets becomes a powerful political act. Using natural resources to represent nature itself shows what can be done when it is cultivated instead of destroyed.24

This paper uncovered that the representations of various concepts within each puppet add layers to each performance piece. As evidenced by the numerous examples, the symbolism of sustainability is pervasive in both the puppet and costume design of Bread and Puppet Theater. The accessible, recycled, and upcycled materials are symbolic in the puppets’ design. The materials amplify the accessibility of theatre and artistic expression, showing that expensive or complex materials are not required for an effective depiction of an abstract idea. Instead, they serve to emphasise the theatre’s ideals and principles, with sustainability being the main pillar of their work. Despite the lack of contemporary research, with Sarah Plummer’s article serving as the foundation of this paper, Bread and Puppet Theater continues to stage environmentally conscious shows. Further research into the use of materials is therefore worth pursuing. Interviews with current volunteers and members of the group would be valuable for discovering other possible interpretations through the eyes of the performance makers themselves.

Bibliography:

Bread and Puppet Press. Bread and Puppet Press. © Bread + Puppet Press 2026. https://breadandpuppetpress.org.

Bread and Puppet Theater. Bread and Puppet – Puppeteers and Sourdough Bakers. © Bread & Puppet Theater 2026. https://breadandpuppet.org.

Bread and Puppet Theater. “Mother Earth and Chorus, from 2018 ‘Naked Truth Pageant’ in Glover, Vermont.” Facebook, March 21, 2019. https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18Qjpfqg1e/.

Bread & Puppet Press. What Is Cheap Art. Glover, VT: Bread & Puppet Press, 1987. PDF file. Accessed December 11, 2025. https://breadandpuppet.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/What-is-Cheap-Art-Book.pdf.

Drake, Sylvie. “Festival ‘90 Stage Review L.A. Festival, A Morally Chastening Plea for Sanity from Some Beasts of Burden, Theater: Bread and Puppet Theater of Vermont Offers a Visually Arresting ‘Uprising of the Beast’ to a Sold-Out Crowd in Santa Monica [Home Edition].” Los Angeles Times (Pre-1997 Fulltext), September 17, 1990. https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/festival-90-stage-review-l-morally-chastening/docview/281250100/se-2.

Estrin, Marc. “The Sustainable Energy of the Bread & Puppet Theater: Lessons Outside the Box.” The Radical Teacher, no. 89 (2011), 20–30. https://doi.org/10.5406/radicalteacher.89.0020.

Karmakar, Ananda & Thapliyal, Richa. “Art, Design and Sustainability: Artist May Become a Key Changer in Environment Sustainability.” Webology, vol. 18, no. 1 (2021), 1362-1366. 10.29121/WEB/V18I1/16.

ORCA Media. “Bread & Puppet: Grasshopper Rebellion Circus – Naked Truth Pageant – Hallelujah.” YouTube, September 8, 2018, video, 02:23:14. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcJabfxq2MM&t=1s.

Petcu, Ioana. “‘Bach Never Lacked Violinists, So Peter Never Lacks Puppeteers’ – Interview with the Bread and Puppet Theater.” Theatrical Colloquia 7, no. 2 (December 2017): 91-301. https://doi.org/10.1515/tco-2017-0028.

Plummer, Sarah. “Good and Radical Bread: Bread and Puppet Theater’s Sourdough Traditions.” Liminalities: A Journal of Performance Studies, vol. 20, no. 4 (2024). http://liminalities.net/20-4/good-and-radical.pdf.

Schumann, Peter. “The Radicality of the Puppet Theatre.” The Drama Review (1988-1991) 35, no. 4 (1991), 75–83. https://doi.org/10.2307/1146164.

Sokolová, Anna Amelie. “Far More Than Protest: Puppetry and Political Engagement of Bread and Puppet Theater and Its Audience.” Unpublished manuscript, Masaryk University, 2025.

Notes:

  1. Bread and Puppet Theater, “About B & P’s 60 Year History,” Bread and Puppet – Puppeteers and Sourdough Bakers. https://breadandpuppet.org. ↩︎
  2. Bread and Puppet Theater, “Home,” Bread and Puppet – Puppeteers and Sourdough Bakers. https://breadandpuppet.org. ↩︎
  3. Oxford English Dictionary, “upcycle (v.),” July 2023, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1052659502, defines the term “to upcycle” as “to reuse (waste material) to create a product of higher quality or value than the original, and to reduce the need for new raw materials in production; (more generally) to repurpose, renovate, or improve (an old or unwanted item) to make something more attractive, valuable, etc.” ↩︎
  4. Oxford English Dictionary, “recycle (v.), sense I.2.a,” December 2025, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/1173437197, defines the term “to recycle” as “to process (waste) so as to convert it into a usable form; to make available for processing into a reusable form. Also: to reclaim (a material) from waste so that it may be reused.” ↩︎
  5. Bread & Puppet Press, What Is Cheap Art (Glover, VT: Bread & Puppet Press, 1987, PDF file), 1-6. https://breadandpuppet.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/01/What-is-Cheap-Art-Book.pdf. ↩︎
  6. Bread and Puppet Theater, “About Cheap Art,” Bread and Puppet – Puppeteers and Sourdough Bakers. ↩︎
  7. Bread and Puppet Theater, “About Cheap Art.” ↩︎
  8. Marc Estrin, “The Sustainable Energy of the Bread & Puppet Theater: Lessons Outside the Box” in The Radical Teacher, no. 89 (2011), 22. ↩︎
  9. Ananda Karmakar and Richa Thapliyal, “Art, Design and Sustainability: Artist May Become a Key Changer in Environment Sustainability” in Webology, vol. 18, no. 1 (2021), 1364. ↩︎
  10. Sarah Plummer, “Good and Radical Bread: Bread and Puppet Theater’s Sourdough Traditions,” in A Journal of Performance Studies, vol. 20, no. 4 (2024), 5. ↩︎
  11. Plummer, “Good and Radical Bread: Bread and Puppet Theater’s Sourdough Traditions,” 7. ↩︎
  12. Plummer, 7. ↩︎
  13. Plummer, 8. ↩︎
  14. Estrin, “The Sustainable Energy of the Bread & Puppet Theater: Lessons Outside the Box” 25, quoted in Plummer, “Good and Radical Bread: Bread and Puppet Theater’s Sourdough Traditions,” 8. ↩︎
  15. Ioana Petcu, “Bach Never Lacked Violinists, So Peter Never Lacks Puppeteers’ – Interview with the Bread and Puppet Theater,” in Theatrical Colloquia 7, no. 2 (December 2017), 293. ↩︎
  16. Bread and Puppet Theater, “Mother Earth and Chorus, from 2018 ‘Naked Truth Pageant’ in Glover, Vermont,” Facebook, March 21, 2019, https://www.facebook.com/share/v/18Qjpfqg1e/; ORCA Media, “Bread & Puppet: Grasshopper Rebellion Circus – Naked Truth Pageant – Hallelujah,” YouTube, September 8, 2018, video from 02:04:02 to 02:08:35, https://youtu.be/0LEmSThUsEQ?si=zP21be6GvFqGeUaI&t=7442. ↩︎
  17. Hans Eisler and Bertolt Brecht, “All or Nothing” in Bread and Puppet Theater, “Mother Earth and Chorus, from 2018 ‘Naked Truth Pageant’ in Glover, Vermont.” ↩︎
  18. Oxford English Dictionary, “anthropomorphic (adj.), sense 1.b,” March 2025, https://doi.org/10.1093/OED/6984198575, defines the term “anthropomorphic” as an adjective “that ascribes human personality or characteristics to something non-human, as an animal, object, etc. Also: designating something ascribed human characteristics in this way.” ↩︎
  19. Eisler and Brecht, “All or Nothing” in Bread and Puppet Theater, “Mother Earth and Chorus, from 2018 ‘Naked Truth Pageant’ in Glover, Vermont.” ↩︎
  20. Plummer, “Good and Radical Bread: Bread and Puppet Theater’s Sourdough Traditions,” 8. ↩︎
  21. Sylvie Drake, “Festival ‘90 Stage Review L.A. Festival, A Morally Chastening Plea for Sanity from Some Beasts of Burden, Theater: Bread and Puppet Theater of Vermont Offers a Visually Arresting ‘Uprising of the Beast’ to a Sold-Out Crowd in Santa Monica [Home Edition]” in Los Angeles Times (Pre-1997 Fulltext), (September 17, 1990) cited in Sokolová, Anna Amelie, “Far More Than Protest: Puppetry and Political Engagement of Bread and Puppet Theater and Its Audience,” 12. ↩︎
  22. Plummer, “Good and Radical Bread: Bread and Puppet Theater’s Sourdough Traditions,” 8. ↩︎
  23. Peter Schumann, “The Radicality of the Puppet Theatre,” in The Drama Review (1988-1991) 35, no. 4, 81. ↩︎
  24. Petcu, “Bach Never Lacked Violinists, So Peter Never Lacks Puppeteers’ – Interview with the Bread and Puppet Theater,” 294. ↩︎

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