The Honey Let’s Go Home Circus stars and is directed by 15 year old Ira Karp, who grew up in the Bread and Puppet Theater. Ira, who has Down Syndrome, uses the language of Bread and Puppet to construct a brightly colored and whimsical puppet circus. Purple cabbages sing and dance. A lion conducts an orchestra. Cardboard businessmen complain that their heads ache: the solution? Bake a gingerbread man! Ira’s favorite stories — Grimm's fairy tales, Narnia, the Wizard of Oz— are juxtaposed with real life stories, both serious and playful. A trip to the fair with friends, a puppet falling down and getting up, and his grandmother’s death all become “acts” performed by Ira and his crew. Ira’s quirky sense of humor and freedom from conventional norms, his exuberance and delight in the performance make this a show not to be missed!
Ira Karp is a performer, director and high school student from Greensboro, Vermont. Every summer he spends as much time as possible at the Bread and Puppet Theater, which his grandfather, Peter Schumann, directs. At Bread and Puppet, Ira has performed as a flag waver, an announcer, an accordion player, Humanity, Hamlet/Ophelia, and as a drummer. Ira loves cooking, the Wizard of Oz, school, pop radio, and spending time with his friends. He attends Hazen Union High School in Hardwick, Vermont. In March 2023, he was a semi-finalist in the Vermont Poetry Out Loud contest. Ira lives with his parents, their cats, Lala and Starlight, and dog Maika. He plans to be an EMT and a baker when he grows up.