In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre (also known as Heart of the Beast or HOBT) is a puppet company and

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

from

Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...

. The company has written and performed scores of full-length puppet plays, performed throughout the US,

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

Korea Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

, and

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

and toured the

Mississippi River The Mississippi River is the second-longest river and chief river of the second-largest drainage system in North America, second only to the Hudson Bay drainage system. From its traditional source of Lake Itasca in northern Minnesota, it f ...

from end to end. The theatre is best known for sponsoring the annual

May Day May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the spring equinox and summer solstice. Festivities may also be held the night before, known as May Eve. T ...

Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...

and

Ceremony A ceremony (, ) is a unified ritualistic event with a purpose, usually consisting of a number of artistic components, performed on a special occasion. The word may be of Etruscan origin, via the Latin '' caerimonia''. Church and civil (secular) ...

that is seen by as many as 50,000 people each year.

History

HOBT began in 1973 as Powderhorn Puppet Theatre, named for a neighborhood park and lake in Minneapolis. In 1975, the theatre organized their first May Day procession and event. About 50-60 people and a few puppets marched, raised a

maypole A maypole is a tall wooden pole erected as a part of various European folk festivals, around which a maypole dance often takes place. The festivals may occur on 1 May or Pentecost (Whitsun), although in some countries it is instead erected at ...

in the park, and had some speeches. In the next years, the event grew and evolved into a way to celebrate community builders. In 1979, the theatre changed its name based on a suggestion by poet and theatre member Steven Lisner. In 1987, they moved into the Avalon Theater, a former

cinema Cinema may refer to: Film * Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography * Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image ** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking ...

originally built in 1909 as the Royal Theatre. HOBT purchased the Avalon Theater in 1990 for the building and staging of productions. In 1999, the

Weisman Art Museum The Frederick R. Weisman Art Museum is an art museum at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Founded in 1934 as University Gallery, the museum was originally housed in an upper floor of the university's Northrop Auditorium. In 19 ...

at the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...

exhibited ''Theatre of Wonder: Twenty-five Years In the Heart of the Beast'', celebrating the works and productions by the theatre. In 2017, the theatre received $275,000 from the will of Sarah Bowman, a performer and longtime supporter of the theatre. The funds are planned to be used in upgrading the theatre building. In 2018, the organization was awarded a grant by

The Jerome Foundation James Jerome Hill II (March 2, 1905 – November 21, 1972) was an American filmmaker and artist known for his award-winning documentary and experimental films. Career Hill was the child of railroad executive Louis W. Hill. He was educated at Ya ...

Productions

Over the years, productions have used various styles of puppet and mask performances, including ''

bunraku (also known as ) is a form of traditional Japanese puppet theatre, founded in Osaka in the beginning of the 17th century, which is still performed in the modern day. Three kinds of performers take part in a performance: the or ( puppeteers ...

'' and larger-than-life puppets. These include: * "Puppet Cabaret!" (quarterly) * "The Minotaur or: Amelia Earhart is Alive and Traveling in the Underworld" (2018) * "Make Believe Neighborhood", celebrating

Mr. Rogers Fred McFeely Rogers (March 20, 1928 – February 27, 2003), commonly known as Mister Rogers, was an American television host, author, producer, and Presbyterian minister. He was the creator, showrunner, and host of the preschool television se ...

(2018) * "La Natividad" (2016, 2014, 2012, 2008, 2007, 2006) * "Crow Boy", based on the children's book by

Taro Yashima was a Japanese-American artist and children's book author. He immigrated to the United States in 1939 and assisted the U.S. war effort. Early life Iwamatsu was born September 21, 1908, in Nejime, Kimotsuki District, Kagoshima, and raised there o ...

(2016) * "Queen" by

Junauda Petrus Junauda Juanita Petrus-Nasah is an American author, filmmaker, performance artist, and "pleasure activist". Her debut novel, '' The Stars and the Blackness Between Them'', was a winner of a Coretta Scott King Honor Award. Early life Petrus w ...

and Erik Ehn (2016) * "

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" (2010, 2001, 1995, 1991, 1989, 1988, 1984, 1983, 1982, 1981, 1979, 1974) * "The Story of

Iqbal Masih Iqbal Masih ( pa, اقبال مسیح; 1983 – 16 April 1995) was a Pakistani Christian child labourer and activist who campaigned against abusive child labour in Pakistan. He was assassinated on 16 April 1995. On 23 March 2022, he was p ...

" (1997) * "''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of Wester ...

''" (1994, 1993) * "This Land", a tribute to

Woody Guthrie Woodrow Wilson Guthrie (; July 14, 1912 – October 3, 1967) was an American singer-songwriter, one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism. He has inspired ...

(1993) * "''

Beowulf ''Beowulf'' (; ang, Bēowulf ) is an Old English epic poem in the tradition of Germanic heroic legend consisting of 3,182 alliterative lines. It is one of the most important and most often translated works of Old English literature. The ...

''" (1985) * "

The Fisherman and His Wife "The Fisherman and His Wife" (Low German: ''Von dem Fischer un syner Fru'') is a German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm in 1812 (KHM 19). The tale is of Aarne–Thompson type 555, about dissatisfaction and greed. It may be classified as ...

" (1975, 1974)

May Day Parade and Tree of Life Ceremony

Minneapolis May Day Tree of Life Ceremony 2018

The annual parade hosted by In the Heart of the Beast Theatre draws large crowds and showcases large puppets and floats and entertainment by performers. Each year's parade/festival has a theme, ranging from Spring and environmental topics to social topics like peace and racial justice. The event also features a festival in Powderhorn Park and a Tree of Life Ceremony involving more than 300 performers. On January 9, 2019, the theatre announced that the 2019 May Day parade would be the last one they could sponsor on their own due to high costs of organizing and running the event. In March 2019, a short documentary entitled "Children of Spring" premiered. The documentary focuses on the children involved in the May Day parade and festival. The film premiere helped raise $15,000 for May Day.

May Day Parade gallery

Image:May Day Parade -1-Minneapolis-2007-05-06.jpg Image:MayDay Parade, Minneapolis (15676505307).jpg Image:May_Day_Parade-2-_2007-05-06.jpg Image:May Day Parade-Minneapolis-20070506.jpg Image:MayDay Parade, Minneapolis (15676131569).jpg Image:MayDay Parade, Minneapolis (15676376587).jpg Image:MayDay Parade, Minneapolis (15675014220).jpg Image:MayDay Parade, Minneapolis (15676380847).jpg Image:MayDay Parade, Minneapolis (15862292995).jpg Image:MayDay Parade, Minneapolis (15860142701).jpg Image:MayDay Parade, Minneapolis (15860151061).jpg Image:Minneapolis May Day Parade 15860321641.jpg Image:Minneapolis May Day Parade — Tuba Bike 4572548265 o.jpg Image:Minneapolis May Day Parade 2018 -- We Feed You Love float.jpg

References

External links

Official website

The people of Powderhorn's 2018 MayDay Parade & Fest
{{Coord, 44.948555, N, 93.253611, W, format=dms, region:US-MN_type:landmark, display=title Puppet troupes Theatre companies in Minneapolis Arts organizations established in 1973 1973 establishments in Minnesota