Bread and Puppets Dreams III

In homage to the Bread and Puppet Theater, I also built a St. George and the Dragon pair of giant puppets for an outside masque on St. George's Day.

Here is St. George with my collaborator, Dot Davis. Dot pitched in and helped me stitch up St. George's metalic cloth toga. He was as you may know, a Roman soldier from Syria who gave his life defending Christians in the Arena during the third century. How on earth this Syrian made it to England to become the patron saint of the Royal Family is an interesting story. One for another day.

The dragon was a very different prospect. I decided to make the dragon mostly of balloons so that at some point in the masque a team of St. George's Angels--little children from the chuch--could set upon the dragon with wooden swords and slay the dragon by popping the balloons. What fun there was when the crowd of wooden sword wielding children put a quick end to the Dragon foe.

When Dragons cross labyrinths, it is clear myth must be alive and well, even in a church. We had so much fun, I also built some giant doves from a design I saw in one of Peter's books.I did write him and ask permission for the theft. Peter was very gracious in giving his blessing to my awkward execution of his graceful original.

There is such mystery and wonder to be found in the presence of giant puppets. We all owe a great debt to Peter and his great gift of the Bread and Puppet Theater. I owe an equal gift to our church and their willingness to host my mania for gigantic puppets. Alas those days are over, the puppets are stashed in some church attic never to see the light of day again probably. When doves, and dragons and St. George all gather on the green church commons can there be any doubt there is community and wholeness?