The Divine Reality Comedy

The Divine Reality Comedy is a brand new translation of Dante’s Divina Commedia. The play is divided into four parts:

In “Paradise,” the old human Born-to-Die gene is replaced by the brand new Born-to-Buy gene. In “Post-Paradise Horsemanship,” a herd of white equestrian cutouts (of all sizes) is manipulated by a crowd of dancers in a picturesque, prancing dance. In “Purgatory,” the shadows of the indefinitely detained speak to you. In “Hell,” the Guantanamo interrogation process is staged with an eight inch papier maché population, whcih recites actual interrogation transcripts and then witnesses three cases of torture as demonstrated on three over life size puppets.

The Divine Reality Comedy is performed by the Bread & Puppet Company and a large number of local volunteers, who will also be part of the shows’ Brass and String Bands and their Choral Singers and Screamers. The theater will be decorated with the unique Bread and Puppet collection of powerful black-line posters, banners, masks, curtains, programs and set-props. This year, there will also be a new lobby exhibition of big paintings on cloth, entitled .

Bread and Puppet Company is also presenting a children’s adaptation entitled The Divine Reality Comedy Circus, performing Saturday and Sunday matinees. The Divine Reality Comedy Circus features the Grand Forgiveness Society of Glover, VT, the triumph of the small farmer, advice on where to get really cheap drinking water, a celebratory ballet by a flock of roosters, the Rotten Idea Theater Company’s distillation of political issues and much more, all accompanied by the Bread & Puppet Circus Band. Some of the circus acts are politically puzzling to adults, but accompanying kids can usually explain them.