HEART OF THE BEAST THEATRE INCORPORATED

“One of the most inspiring displays of collaborative community building… Their ability to work with such a wide and varied range of ages and interests was truly inspiring and the results they achieved were truly remarkable.”

—Joseph Tadie, in response to an HOBT residency at Saint Mary’s University, Winona, MN, 2009

“Walking into the MayDay Workshops right from the Capitol, I saw democracy alive. All the colors, all the shapes of people, the street and university people, old and young, tall and short, all at work together. MayDay demonstrates real democracy in action.

-Dr. David O’Fallon, President, MacPhail Center for the Arts

“The annual MayDay Parade and Festival...is the best of what art should be, in a form that is accessible and inclusive of people of all incomes, ages, races and cultures.”

- Jobs and Affordable Housing Campaign Team, 2000 ***

For 36 years, In the heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre has been combining flour, newspaper, paint, imagination, and community input to tell stories that explore and celebrate the human experience and the wonders of the world’s natural and cultural richness.

Puppetry’s power lies in the act of transformation — of bringing something inanimate to life. This act in itself speaks to our lives, which rise and fall and rise again. As we share this act of building and performing, we find that art brings people together. It creates and expands community. The work of HOBT is strongly grounded in the concerns of its home neighborhood as they connect to regional and global issues. Through its artistry, the theatre brings people together in the hands-on creation of and participation in community-wide puppet and mask events.

In addition to the annual MayDay Parade and Festival, HOBT produces original plays for both family and adult audiences. The theatre also engages adults, youth, community groups, and even whole towns in a range of creative education programs and collaborative experiences across Minnesota.