By Bread Alone

Carly Martin

24 Jul 2026 — 5 min read

Good morning folks! Happy Friday. This week we're getting into avant theater movements of the 20th century. Buckle up!

Not By Bread Alone

This past weekend I was up at the Talbot family compound in Newark, Vermont. Newark has a population of 587 and is located in the north eastern corner of the state, in a region aptly called 'The Northeast Kingdom'. Basically anytime I've gone up there, I have visited Bread and Puppet - a kind of barn/art museum/performance venue/printing studio space a few towns over in Glover. If you have never heard of Bread and Puppet as a performance group, get ready.

thank you to Erica the wedding photographer for taking gorgeous exterior photos of this house

Bread and Puppet started as a radical political puppet theater group in 1963 in New York City. Founders Peter and Elka Schumann started putting on weekly shows for free in the lower east side of Manhattan. These performances quickly grew in size and became focused on a multitude of political issues - anything from protesting local rent increases to U.S. involvement in Vietnam - was on the table to be made into a public puppet show. Important to also note that the company founders would make and pass out bread to people who watched their shows, literally bread and puppet.

In 1968, the puppet theater troupe garnered international attention with their original performance titled Fire, about the Vietnam War. The group became associated with other American experimental theater groups like The Living Theater and The San Francisco Mime Troupe, who were producing work that rejected linear narratives and traditional, commercial themes. We can talk more about Brecht and Boal and Artaud in another episode.

In 1970, Bread and Puppet Theater was given a residency at Goddard College in Plainfield, Vermont and eventually they moved to an old dairy farm in Glover, Vermont. Peter, Elka, and a small group of players/artists/puppet-makers turned an old hay barn into a performance venue (referred to as 'the papier-mâché cathedral') and held large scale shows around the property.

In the past 50 years, they've expanded beyond puppet shows, and now produce artworks and books in their on-site printshop. They take apprentices if you're looking for something to do.

There's a big question as to where Bread and Puppet goes in the next few years. This project is driven almost exclusively by Peter Schumann, who is now 90 years old. It's not super clear who, if anyone, will continue this work after Peter passes. So, if you find yourself looking to take a 3.5 hour trip from Boston, I would make your way to the papier-mâché cathedral sooner rather than later.

Peter Schumann looks exactly how you'd think he looks + pictures I've taken in the museum and in the papier-mâché cathedral from 2018-2026

Art!

We're bringing it back. I've had a gorgeous month, with lots of gorgeous things that I have laid my eyes on that I'd like to share with the group. Here are the things in the month of July that made me want to make art:

A stunning rainbow cowboy tapestry at Tunnel Books in St. Johnsbury, VT made me want to figure out how to break into fiber arts.
The work of Sarah Evans, a Welsh landscape artist whose paintings I found on Instagram. She's currently deep in a series featuring dogs at beer gardens. This one is titled "Alf in the Beer Garden". I love the scratchy texture.
This handmade label for some salsa picked up by none other than Dave Talbot, friend of the newsletter. Some really stunning handiwork using sharpie and colored pencil on cardboard.
It's not often you see murals on the inside of bathroom stalls but I thoroughly enjoyed admiring this one while using the facilities at Lamplighter Brewing in Cambridge. I really appreciate the quiet chaos happening in this scene. Also, I have to imagine that getting paint to adhere to a bathroom stall was an absolute nightmare, so kudos to the artist.
A print from Bread and Puppet in Glover, VT. I love a relief cut. I almost picked a few up to gift to my own sister beasts.
Daily mixed media pieces from Canadian artist Jennifer Mohr. Another Instagram find, she takes her sketchbooks into her garden everyday and makes these beautiful painting/drawings. I really respect anyone who can keep up a daily creative habit like this.

Bye!

recs to enjoy this weekend:

a song i'm loving:

maggots for brains - Olivia Rodrigo

a movie i watched:

Nat and I saw The Rose of Nevada and The Invite in a special double feature where we left the theater, decided we should see another movie, and then went and paid for more tickets. Rose of Nevada was solid, I think we as a society have not explored the maritime horror sub-genre enough. More sea-faring, spooky scripts please. The Invite was also just ok imo. I thought Olivia Wilde almost redeemed herself from Don't Worry Darling up until the last 20 minutes, which could have just been cut entirely. She'll get there eventually.

a book i'm reading: