>> THE VERMONT TOWN PARADE.

A VENERABLE YANKEE TRADITION DEDICATED TO THE CELEBRATION OF THAT MOST ELUSIVE OF ALL NORTH COUNTRY INSTITUTIONS THE SUMMERTIME.

THE BASIC RECIPE FOR A SUCCESSFUL VERMONT TOWN PARADE CONSISTS OF GOOD WEATHER, PLENTY OF KIDS, A FIRE ENGINE OR TWO, A BAND, AND, OF COURSE, SOME OVERSIZED PUPPETS.

THAT IS IF THE SITE IS ANYWHERE NEAR GLOVER.

THE BREAD & PUPPET THEATRE PLAYERS AND BAND HAVE BEG A REGULAR FIXTURE.

THEIR NEIGHBORLY CONTRIBUTION CONSTITUTES A LIGHTER SIDE OF VERY SERIOUS WORK ACCOMPLISHED AT THEIR HEADQUARTERS.

FROM A DISTANCE YOU WOULD SWEAR IT WAS JUST ANOTHER TYPICAL NEW ENGLAND BARN.

A LARGE UTILITARIAN STRUCTURE TUCKED AWAY AMONG THE FOOTHILLS OF THE GREEN MOUNTAINS IN VERMONT'S NORTHEAST KINGDOM.

ACTUALLY IT'S THE BREAD & PUPPET THEATRE MUSEUM, SITE OF FROM ONE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST UNUSUAL COLLECTIONS OF PUPPETS AND THEATER EFFECTS IN THE UNITED STATES.

THE CONTENTS OF THE BARN MUSEUM ARE ONLY PART OF THE STORY OF THE BREAD & PUPPET THEATRE FOUNDED IN 1963 BY GERMAN BORN ARTIST PETER SCHUMANN.

HE HAS BEEN CREATING MASKS AND PUPPETS, WRITING STORIES AND DIRECTING SHOWS FOR THE LAST 20 YEARS AND LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF ENTHUSIASTIC AND DEVOTED COLLABORATORS HAVE LIVED AND WORKED WITH HIM.

>> THIS GUY SHOULD BE COVERED WITH PLASTIC RIGHT AWAY.

IT WILL DRY OUT.

>> WHAT WE ARE DOING IS VERY DIFFERENT IN A WAY BECAUSE IT'S NOT MY PRIVATE ART.

IT'S COMMUNAL ART FORM.

AN ART FORM WHERE I'M NOT JUST DOING SOMETHING.

I WANT TO DO BUT I'M DOING IT IN THE CONTEXT OF A BIG GROUP OF FRIENDS AND COLLABORATORS WHO ARE ARTISTS OR MUSICIANS OR DANCERS WHO AGREE ON THE ISSUES, WHO ALSO WANT TO FIND FORMS FOR THE EXPRESSION OF THE THINGS THAT WE FEEL HAVE TO BE SAID.

WE RELY ENTIRELY ON THIS WITH OTHER PEOPLE, TO COMPOSE ANYTHING I NEED MUSIC.

I NEED THE SENSITIVITY OF OTHER PEOPLE.

I NEED POLITICAL OPINION.

I COULDN'T DO THE POLITICAL THINGS I'M DOING UNLESS THERE WERE COMMUNITY THAT FEELS THE SAME STRENGTH ABOUT THAT AS I DO.

SO IT'S A CONSTANT TO AND FRO PLAY, NOT EASY TO DEFINED IT PRECISELY.

>> SINCE THE EARLY '60s, BREAD & PUPPET HAS TOURED INTERNATIONALLY OFFERING THEIR DEEPLY POLITICAL BRAND OF PAGEANTRY TO AUDIENCES STRUGGLING WITH A QUARTER CENTURY WORTH OF DIFFICULT ISSUES.

[CHEERS AND APPLAUSE] MUSEUMS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN A CONCERN OF SCHUMANN'S SINCE HIS EARLY DAYS IN NEW YORK.

AS ONE AMBITIOUS PROJECT FOLLOWED ANOTHER IT BECAME OBVIOUS A PLACE WAS NEEDED TO DISPLAY THE SCORES OF PUPPETS AND MASKS WHICH CHRONICLE THE DECADES OF PERFORMANCE.

THE AISLES WHICH RUN THE LENGTH OF THE 100 FOOT LONG BARN ARE LINED WITH PUPPETS AND THEATER EFFECTS GROPED TOGETHER BY SHOW, COLOR OR AGE.

MANY ARE UNRELATED TO TRADITIONAL THEATER BUT UNCANNYLY RECOGNIZED FROM DREAM AND NIGHTMARE.

FROM HISTORY WE HAVE THE TRAGIC FAKE OF GERMAN CHARLOTTE SOLOMON.

>> CHARLOTTE SOLOMON IS ALMOST AN UNKNOWN JEWISH GENIUS, DIED IN A NAZI CONCENTRATION CAMP IN '44.

I'M JUST AMAZED AT HER ART.

SHE WAS A WONDERFUL PAINTER.

DIED IN HER EARLY 20s.

VERY BEAUTIFUL, AMAZING PAINTER.

HARDLY KNOWN IN THE STATES.

[PIANO PLAYING] >> THE CAVINOUS EXPANSES OF THE UPPER LEVEL OF THE BARN OFFER IT IN A SETTING THAT MORE ACCURATELY DEPICTS THE SCALE.

THE COZY, CRAMPED INTIMACY IS GONE.

THE WALLS EXPAND.

THE PUPPETS ARE GIANTS, SUPERHUMAN EFFIGIES TOURING 20 OR MORE FEET INTO THE AIR JUST AS IN PAST PAGEANTS.

BUT POSSIBLY THE MOST POWERFUL BREAD & PUPPET CREATION TO DATE IS YAMA, THE FIERY KING OF HELL, IN THE MIDST OF HIS DEMON COHORTS.

HIS GARGANTUAN ADVICE AGE MADE UP OF A MILLION OTHER FACES, BEAST, BIRD AND HUMAN.

A SNOUT HANGS OVER HIS LIPS.

MOUNTED ON A TRIPOD ATOP A RED CURTAIN HIS ENORMOUS HANDS EXPEND EXTEND TO FORM THE THE BK DROP OF THE STAGE DEVOTED TO THE TERRIBLE MR.

YAMA.

>> MR.

YAMA, KING OF HELL.

IT WAS FROM A PLAY THAT I WORKED PRETTY INTENSELY ON.

THEIR PLAY WAS THE REINTERPRETATION, MODERNIZATION OF A KIOGAN, PART OF A NO CYCLE.

IT'S ONE OF THE BIGGEST FORMS OF THEATER THAT EVER EXISTED IN ANY SENSE.

WE USED THIS TIOGAN TO EXPOSE THE STORY ABOUT LIEUTENANT KELLIE, WHO WAS PARDONED BY MR.

MICKEY AFTER IT WAS QUITE PLAIN THAT MR.

KELLIE HAD BEEN RESPONSIBLE FOR THE ME LIMAS DECREE THERE.

I DON'T KNOW, I FORGET HOW MANY, OVER 200 WOMEN AND CHILDREN WERE MOWED DOWN WITH MACHINE GUNS, AMERICAN MACHINE GUNS.

SO THE NO PLAY STORY LENDS ITSELF DIRECTLY FOR THAT NIXON PARDON STORY BECAUSE THE KING OF HELL PARDONS THE BIRD CATCHER WHO CATCHES ALL THESE BEAUTIFUL BIRDS IN THE SAME -- WITH THE SAME WORDS AS NIXON PARDONED KELLIE.

THE ARTS HAVE TO DEAL WITH WHAT'S IMPORTANT, AND POLITICS SUDDENLY ARE.

RIGHT NOW WE ARE VERY CONCERNED ABOUT NICARAGUA.

THE EVENTS IN NICARAGUA, TO INFORM OURSELVES.

WE HAVE MANY FRIENDS WHO WENT THERE IN OTHER CAPACITIES.

WE WENT THERE IN ORDER TO SEE AND TO LEARN WHAT'S GOING ON AND ALSO TO BRING OUR PRODUCTION THERE, AND WE ARE APPALLED AND ABHORRED BY THE LIFE THAT THIS GOVERNMENT SPREADS ABOUT THAT COUNTRY.

THE OBVIOUS ATTEMPT AT DECEIT AND MISINFORMATION FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE.

FOR POLITICAL REASONS.

PARADE WERE OUR FIRST ATTEMPT AT THEATER IN VERMONT.

WE FELT VERY HAPPY ABOUT THAT.

PARADES WERE SIMPLY PARTICIPATION IN THE LOCAL EVENTS THAT HAPPENED ANYWAY THAT BECAME AN ART, AND WE GOT VERY USED TO THAT.

THE VARIOUS VILLAGERS THAT INVITED US FOR COME THERE, THE FORM OF THEATER -- ANCIENT AND FORGOTTEN, TERRIFIC CHANCE FOR US TO REALLY BRING OUT INTO THE STREET AS WE SAY WHAT WE WANT TO DO AND SAY, WHICH ISN'T JUST PROTESTING SOMETHING BUT ALSO SUPPORTING SOMETHING LIKE THE BEAUTY OF VERMONT OR THE MARVELOUSNESS OF BEING HERE, WHAT HAVE YOU.

WE ARE BOTH I THINK VERY ATTACHED TO TRYING FOR BIG, SIMPLE IMAGES OF TELLING PEOPLE ABOUT THE BEAUTY OF NATURE, TERRIFICNESS OF THIS FINDING OURSELVES IN SEASONS AND IN LANDSCAPES AND IN ANY KIND OF WAY UNDER THIS BEAUTIFUL VERMONT SKY ON ONE HAND AND LET'S SAY THE GRATEFULNESS, THE WONDERFULNESS OF IT AND ON THE OTHER HAND WE TRIED TO EXPLAIN AND HELP EXPLAIN THE TERRIBLE SITUATION THAT WE LIVE IN.

WE CALL THAT PARTICIPATION IN THE FIGHT AGAINST THE END OF THE WORLD.

>> FOR MORE CLASSIC PROGRAMS, VISIT VERMONTPBS.ORG/FROMTHEARCHIVES.