Fire (1965)

Reed Theatre is delighted to welcome Vermont's legendary Bread and Puppet Theatre to Reed for their sole Portland stop on this rare west coast tour. Fire was originally created in 1965 and later dedicated to three Americans who immolated themselves in protest against the war in Vietnam. Fire is a glimpse into seven days in a Vietnamese community which is incinerated by firebombs, followed by a scene referencing the protest self-immolations. Fire is performed with life-sized puppets which resemble their manipulators. George Dennison, author, educator, and longtime observer of Bread & Puppet, said: "To some extent (Fire) is a service to the dead. Beyond this it manifests certain of the deep premises of the human condition, the inequitableness of life, our dependencies on each other, the social nature of the self."