Generations of peacenik Americans first saw Bread and Puppet Theater during anti-war protests. Giant white birds on rods soared high over marchers against U.S. military actions in Vietnam, Central America, Iraq and Gaza. Performers milled on the street with bobbing paper mache heads of Uncle Sam and other caricatures.

First founded in 1963, Bread and Puppet has been a mainstay of radical political performance, with its annual Fall Circus touring the country for more than fifty years . Human performers hand out freshly baked sourdough bread to audience members after each show.

"The role of the artist is to make the revolution irresistible," says Abril Barajas, with a big smile. The puppeteer, who recently turned 30, is among 15 in the troupe traveling to 33 U.S. cities with this year's

See Full Page