Bread & Puppet Theater Apprenticeship Info

Come spend part of your summer in rural Vermont, performing shows on a working farm with a 63-year-old political puppet theater!!

Location: Glover, Vermont, USA

Duration: The August session runs from August 4-September 1, a 4 week timeframe.

4 available sessions: Two 2-week sessions and two 4-week sessions. This is the page for the 4 week August Apprenticeship.

Links to the other apprenticeship sessions:

1. Late May Session: 2 weeks. Tuesday May 19- Tuesday June 2, 2026.
2. July Session: 4 weeks. Tuesday July 7- Tuesday August 4, 2026.
3. Late September/Early October Session: 2 weeks. Tuesday September 22 – Tuesday October 6th, 2026.

Cost: $550 per week. This session is 4 weeks or $2200.  Fee reductions are available if needed.

Puppeteers, farmers, dancers, musicians, truck drivers, sculptors, midwives, dreamers, grandmothers, the hypothetical proletariat, activists, lovers of paper-mache tigers & everyone above and beyond:

This opportunity is open to everyone who is interested in participating in Bread & Puppet style show making. We are committed to making Bread & Puppet a space  for people of all ages, ethnicities, gender identities, nationalities and backgrounds. Not having theater experience and/or not being familiar with the work of the theater should not deter you from applying.

ALL applicants will be considered regardless of their ability to pay. We understand that our fees are too high for many people who might want to apply. Therefore, if you are selected for the apprenticeship program, we will work with your financial situation to enable you to attend this program. If you can afford to pay the full price, or have access to outside funding, your support helps us offer fee reductions for those who need it. 

Please note that the focus of the apprenticeship program is specific to the shows being made and not a particular syllabus: We are not a school and we do not conduct classes in different styles of puppetry or puppet building. The apprenticeship program is an intensive and often intense (and often “in tents!”) communal living and working experience. To be a B&P apprentice is to be “thrown into” the ongoing life and productions of the theater, and to learn by engaging with this often chaotic but also highly structured environment. Apprentices need to be self-motivated and adaptable, and not just in it for “workshops”. 

What to expect:

REHEARSAL, REHEARSAL, REHEARSAL: It cannot be overstated that the main thing apprentices do is rehearse. Apprentices will learn by engaging in different aspects of Bread and Puppet show production, which may include movement and dance experimentation, mask and puppet manipulation, vocal and instrumental music or organized noise making, printmaking, paper-mache, puppet making/repairing and stilt dancing; as well as prop and puppet gathering, backstage organization and puppet repair. The interests, talents (or lack thereof!), musical instruments, and political perspectives that apprentices bring can be an important part of our show creating process. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL APPRENTICES ARE EXPECTED TO PARTICIPATE IN REHEARSALS AND PERFORMANCES. If you don’t consider yourself a performer, that’s totally fine: this is an opportunity to push yourself beyond your comfort zone. Much of the performance we do involves group movements behind puppets, rather than traditional “acting” with lines and solo performing. If the idea of a full day of rehearsal and performance doesn’t appeal to you, consider checking out our printshop apprenticeships instead.

All meals are included and are prepared for everyone by the Bread & Puppet cooks (with collective help), except on Mondays, our weekly day off. On this day bulk foods and leftovers will be available to you for cooking. Dietary allergies and preferences within reason will be accommodated. We use outhouses, conserve water, compost leftovers and generally try to be thrifty. Accommodations are very simple, even rugged, and most apprentices live in tents. Additionally, we do not give out the wifi password and we attempt to live as screen-free as possible during the apprenticeship.

Apprentices must be 18 or older. Dogs (or other pets), drugs, and underage drinking are not permitted. Sorry, no trailers or campers. 

To apply for the apprenticeship program, please snail-mail a letter of interest! No emailed letters of interest will be accepted.  A HARD COPY OF YOUR LETTER OF INTEREST IS A REQUIREMENT.

You may apply for multiple apprenticeship sections with the same letter- just indicate in the first paragraph that you are doing so (and if you have a preference for one session over the other). You must send a separate letter to apply for the printshop apprenticeships, but please do mention if you are applying for theater and printshop apprenticeships so that we can keep track of who we are accepting for what.

LETTERS OF INTEREST MUST BE POSTMARKED BY March 1, 2025.

To apply, please send your letter of interest to:

Esteli Kitchen

re: Apprenticeship

37 East Church Street

East Hardwick, Vermont

05836 USA 

IN THE FIRST SENTENCE OF THE LETTER, PLEASE WRITE YOUR NAME, AGE, WHERE YOU ARE LIVING, YOUR EMAIL ADDRESS, AND WHICH SESSION(S) YOU ARE APPLYING TO. All communication after the initial letter will be via email.

Otherwise, this letter is free-form and is  a chance for us to get to know you. Consider writing briefly about your upbringing, where you were born and where you live now and why. If you care to, please reflect upon how your geographic/economic/religious/ethnic/cultural backgrounds have shaped you into the person you are today.  What are your values? What are your passions? What political issues that are important to you? What do you want to learn more about? What are your hobbies?

Secondarily feel free to mention any art you may make, your current job, your hopes and dreams, and why you were drawn to the Bread & Puppet apprenticeship. Additionally, feel free to mention any communal and/or rural living experience you may have (not required to be an apprentice). Let us know what your experience and comfort level with camping is.  If you play brass, woodwinds, strings or percussion, please tell us in your letter. One paragraph form letters will not be considered, but please do not exceed 3 handwritten or typed pages. We don’t mind if you have spelling or grammar mistakes but try to write as legibly as you can.

You can also include any media you’ve made (drawings, tiny puppets, prints, whatever) if you like, though just sending a letter is totally fine, too. It is not necessary to include a resume, but if you really want to you may. PLEASE, PRETTY PLEASE, DO *NOT* INCLUDE PLANT MATTER IN YOUR LETTER. It dries out and then gets everywhere when we open them. It’s not as cute as you think it is. Thank you.

If you have questions, feel free to ask.

A note on fees for college students

Talk to your professors about the potentiality of college grant money to help cover your apprenticeship fees. Often colleges have money earmarked specifically for their students participating in summer apprenticeships. It is also sometimes possible for students to receive college credit for completing the Bread & Puppet apprenticeship.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email. The email for the apprenticeship coordinator is:

[email protected]

We look forward to hearing from you!