ABOUT HOBT

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 theater brings people together. It builds community.

It is with great respect and awe that we see the power and joy of this ancient art flourish in unsuspecting ways and places.

Since 1973, In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre has been using water, flour, newspaper, paint, and unlimited imagination to tell stories that explore the struggles and celebrations of human existence.

Drawing inspiration from the world's traditions of puppet and mask theatre and its lively roots in transformative ritual and street theatre, HOBT creates vital, poetic theater for all ages and backgrounds.

Each year, we produce a season of original plays; tour productions and create specially commissioned pageants throughout Minnesota and beyond; and teach puppetry and pageantry through residencies and workshops to youth, students and teachers, and communities.

In addition, each spring HOBT creates and wholly produces the beloved, fantastical MayDay Parade and Pageant, celebrated by tens of thousands in Powderhorn Park.

In 2004, HOBT was named a Finalist, Best Small Theater Production by the Star Tribune for Company of Angels: The Story of Charlotte Salomon; and in 1997 it won the national UNIMA-USA Award for its stunning original production Befriending the Enemy. In 2000 HOBT was the very first American organization invited to perform inside the North/South Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ). International tours include South Korea and the Dominican Republic.

ABOUT OUR FACILITIES

In the Heart of the Beast Puppet & Mask Theatre 300-seat theatre and administrative offices are located in the Avalon, an art deco cinema designed by architect Perry Crosier in 1937.

It screened top Hollywood movies, and later, art films, but, by the 1960’s, it had devolved into showing pornography. Neighborhood residents protested and organized and, finally, in 1984, the theater was closed. It then stood vacant until 1988 when HOBT became a tenant. Over the last 10 years, HOBT has raised more than one million dollars to purchase (in 1990) and renovate the building.

In 2004, HOBT joined with the Neighborhood Development Center (NDC) and Latino Economic Development Center (LEDC) to purchase and redevelop the adjacent building at 1516 E. Lake Street. A former Masonic lodge, the newly renovated Plaza Verde building re-opened in March 2005 as a neighborhood-based cultural and small business center.

 HOBT occupies the third floor which contains a large ballroom along with a large studio, rehearsal space and storage areas for our vast puppet collection.

See Rental Info for more details
about the Avalon and Plaza Verde

HOBT Staff

• Sandy Spieler, Artistic Director
• Kathee Foran, Executive Director
• Katy Peters, Financial Manager, Rental Coordinator
• Masanari Kawahara, Staff Artist
• Melissa Koch, Community Programs Director
• Margery Otto, Volunteer Coordinator
• Paul Robinson, Company Manager
• Duane Tougas, Staff Artist
• Jamey Leonard, Office Manager & Development Associate
• Erin Search-Wells, Office Assistant

Directions to HOBT

Click here for explicit driving directions to HOBT