The Internationally renowned Bread and Puppet Theater is returning to Oklahoma City during their 2025 Fall Circus Tour on Saturday, October 18th. The 75-minute show, Our Domestic Resurrection Revolution in Progress Circus, will take place at the Will Rogers Theater Park Amphitheater beginning at 5:00 p.m. with live music starting at 4:40. This raucous spectacle attempts to address the heart of the current moment with a bright barrage of acts spanning many moods, from slapstick to the sublime, all powered by a riotous brass band. After the show, Bread & Puppet will serve its famous sourdough rye bread with aioli, and Bread & Puppet’s “Cheap Art” – books, posters, postcards, pamphlets and banners from the Bread & Puppet Press – will be for sale.
The Oklahoma City performance is presented by a host group of volunteers who believe that art can change the world. Presenting partners include Flora Bodega, Factory Obscura, and Oscillator Press in Norman.
About Bread and Puppet Theater:
The Bread and Puppet Theater was founded in 1963 by Peter Schumann on New York City’s Lower East Side. Besides rod-puppet and hand puppet shows for children, the concerns of the first productions were rents, rats, police, and other problems of the neighborhood. More complex theater pieces followed, in which sculpture, music, dance and language were equal partners. The puppets grew bigger and bigger. Annual presentations for Christmas, Easter, Thanksgiving and Memorial Day often included children and adults from the community as participants. Many performances were done in the street. During the Vietnam War, Bread and puppet staged block-long processions and pageants involving hundreds of people.
In 1974 Bread and Puppet moved to a farm in Glover in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. The 140-year old hay barn was transformed into a museum for veteran puppets. Our Domestic Resurrection Circus, a two day outdoor festival of puppetry shows, was presented annually through 1998.
The company makes its income from touring new and old productions both on the American continent and abroad, and from sales of Bread and Puppet Press’ posters and publications. The traveling puppet shows range from tightly composed theater pieces presented by members of the company to extensive outdoor pageants which require the participation of many volunteers.
Today, Bread and Puppet continues to be one of the oldest, nonprofit, political theatre companies in the country.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the show ok for kids? While there is nothing inappropriate for children in our shows, we do speak on heavy topics. We generally tell parents that if they would allow their children to read a newspaper, the show will be fine for them.
Will there be bread and aioli? Yes, bread with optional garlic aioli. It’s vegan.
Can I be in the show? At some places we are offering a workshop before the show to work folks into the show, but otherwise, the show is not built for volunteer performers.
Will the show be the same as what I saw in Vermont? Or last year? Or back in the 70’s? While the structure of the show is always the same (flags, many short acts, paper mache animals, a brass band, etc), the show is constantly evolving in response to the moment. Some puppets were made this year, some were made decades ago.
You say “No one turned away for lack of funds” but do you mean it? Yes! If you need financial assistance with a ticket, please email [email protected].
