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Redwing Blackbird Performs Bread and Puppet Theater's “Hallelujah!” for Commemorating Fukushima: Year One - Mar. 11, 2012

On Sunday, March 11 Redwing Blackbird Theater presented Bread and Puppet's timeless classic “Hallelujah!” in English, Japanese, and other languages at Indian Point Nuclear Power Plant in Buchanan, NY.  The performance was part of a ceremony commemorating the one-year anniversary of the nuclear disaster in Fukushima, Japan.

From the press release:

March 11, 2012 marks one year since an earthquake, tsunami, and nuclear disaster struck the coast of Japan and began what is still an ongoing disaster.  The consequences of this triple tragedy are still unfolding and it will take the country decades to recover.  Four of the reactors at Fukushima are now closed and there is now a 12 mile exclusion zone surrounding them. As a result 160,000 people have been relocated, perhaps never to go home again.

We take this time to listen to the voices of the Japanese people and stand in solidarity with them in their sorrow and loss.  We look at the reactors at Indian Point, which are surrounded by 20 million people within a 50 mile radius, and ask: Is this the way we need to generate our electricity?  Is it necessary to jeopardize the lives and property of so many when there are so many alternatives?

These are all questions that need to be answered with public dialog and discussion, not 30 second commercials produced by a company which profits so heavily from continued operation.

There is no way to make anything 100% safe from human error.  We are passing on a legacy that is deadly to untold generations.  What if we were to conserve more and to become more efficient?  Japan is a country about the size of California.  It had 54 nuclear reactors in place prior to the earthquake.  Of that total the 4 at Fukushima can no longer operate and another 48 across the country are now closed.  Only 2 of the Japanese fleet of reactors are still operating.

Japanese society continues to function with this dramatic decrease in generation. Conservation has been the key to this dramatic reduction in the use of electricity.  Life continues in Japan as people struggle with their losses, worries about purchasing contaminated food in the market place, and the knowledge that many will never be able to go home again.

Those from Japan tell us that one of the most effective things we can do to protect our families and our communities is to close Indian Point.  As Fukushima clearly demonstrates, continued operation in such a densely populated area is simply not worth the risk.

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Upcoming: "Animals in Winter" with Students at High Meadow School, High Falls, NY

On Tuesday, February 7 at High Meadow School in High Falls, NY, Redwing Blackbird works with first graders and young musicians led by Free At Last.  Together we will remount our show "The Animals in Winter," first performed Dec. 10 at Blackbird Theater during Frozendale.

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Upcoming: Black History Month Show at Hudson Valley Mall, Kingston, NY

On Saturday, February 4 at the Hudson Valley Mall in Kingston, NY, Redwing Blackbird Theater will be joined by Kingston youth and local musicians for a Black History Month Exhibit opening.  Look for the storefront near Macy's in the mall to see our 4:45 parade and 5 pm "Rosa Parks/MLK" show.

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"Rosendale puppet show delights Chomsky lecture attendees at SUNY New Paltz"

Rob Walters for Shawangunk Journal, Dec. 8, 2011

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Howard Zinn at SUNY New Paltz - Dec. 4, 2011

Redwing Blackbird Theater performs a show based on Howard Zinn's "A People's History of the United States" during a lecture given by Noam Chomsky at SUNY New Paltz.

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Howard Zinn at SUNY New Paltz - Dec. 4, 2011

Redwing Blackbird performs Dec. 4, 2011 with SUNY New Paltz students and community volunteers as Noam Chomsky honors “A People's History of the United States” author Howard Zinn.

Howard Zinn’s “A People’s History” exposes the ways governments and corporations control, indoctrinate, and pit us against each other.  The Howard Zinn shows say: “Let’s create joyful rebellion and return the big primal energy to a world that is ours!”

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Parade and Puppet Show with Occupy Poughkeepsie - Nov. 12, 2011

On Nov. 12, 2011 Redwing Blackbird and local volunteers joined Occupy Poughkeepsie to march with puppets to several downtown banks.  We also performed the Bread and Puppet classic "Hallelujah!" Occupy Poughkeepsie began as a full-time occupation of Hulme Park in downtown Poughkeepsie, NY.  The occupation continues despite eviction from the park.  http://occupypoughkeepsie.org

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Redwing Blackbird with Occupy Wall Street at the Village Halloween Parade - Oct. 31, 2011

Redwing Blackbird's Uncle Fatso puppet danced on Wall Street 30 years ago and returns as Mr. 1% to lead OWS contingent in NYC Halloween Parade Oct. 31, 2011.

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Redwing Blackbird with Occupy Wall Street at the Village Halloween Parade - Oct. 31, 2011

Redwing Blackbird's Uncle Fatso puppet danced on Wall Street 30 years ago and returns as Mr. 1% to lead OWS contingent in NYC Halloween Parade Oct. 31, 2011.

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Redwing Blackbird with Occupy Wall Street at the Village Halloween Parade - Oct. 31, 2011

THANK YOU to all who worked on this parade and who valiantly marched with the 99%.

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Rosendale Memorial Day Parade - May 30, 2011

From Blue Stone Press, Jun. 30, 2011:

Redwing Blackbird Theater's "float" in the Rosendale Parade salutes Mother Nature as she ushers in the summer season.

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Rosendale Memorial Day Parade - May 30, 2011

The annual Rosendale Memorial Day Parade honors those who died so that we might live more fully.  We walked in the parade with Mother Earth this year to celebrate our dependance on each other and on the earth.