A "stilters" crown

The Pageant

In contrast to the afternoon performance, which contains short comedy pieces, the Pageant is a serious affair, sometimes containing a nightmarish quality. The event usually starts around 6:30 p.m. By the time it is over, an hour and half later, it is almost dark. Dusk can provide a somewhat eerie quality to any outdoor theater and this event is no exception.

The theme of the Pageant at the Bread and Puppet Domestic Resurrection Circus was "Maximum Security Democracy." It is portrayed as an evil force, a hungry monster, eagerly devouring consumerism. The monster is accompanied by a small group of white masked operatives, who bear an eerie resemblance to ghosts haunted by the false freedoms of democracy. The monster crowns "stilters" with machines and creates a "system" that works powerfully and effectively to maintain order and quell insurrection.

The system is a combination of the political babble, red tape and consumer mentality which govern our daily lives. Insurrection comes from a crowd of brown paper papier maché people who silently descend on the scene. The crowd spawns visionaries who wander into the audience, speaking words of wisdom and tenaciously holding on as they are forced back into the crowd.

As watchful, angel-like figures are raised in the far field, the system's operatives rock large bodies to sleep in the foreground. Suddenly, out of the pine forest, a bugle cry is heard and a white "Domestic Resurrection" face rises up to grace the entire field. Pumping madly at bellows, a bright yellow figure runs across the ridge, waking the giants momentarily from compliant slumber. Then, all is quiet, but not finished.The yellow figure reappears, this time with an army of flags and suns to ignite the insurrection. The suns wake the giant sleepers and they join Mother Earth in her final descent towards the Democracy Machine. The liberated people burn the giant Machine as good triumphs over evil.

The Maximum Security Democracy Machine. Two had to be built because each one is burned at the end of each performances...a characteristic resurrectual ending to a Pageant!

The Godhead?

(This is a Scenes of Vermont page and not an official B&P Site, so we cannot answer mail about the date of the next pageant. Leave your questions in the forum, please!)

Be sure to check the Bread and Puppet event calendar for future performances.