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.

In 2009, HOBT was one of only 90 non-profit theaters from across the country to be awarded a Recovery Act Grant from the National Endowment of the Arts.

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.

Prince Siddhata Gotama meets an old man.
from GOTAMA: A Journey to the Buddha, February, 2006
Photo by Bruce Silcox

Each year, we produce a season of original plays and tour productions; 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.

“Your performance yesterday touched a part of me that had lain quiet for many years. The experience in the mask / puppet residency brought wonder and creation to my heart. I felt the power of your symbols, and understood many things that could not have been communicated with words.” -Karyn, July 1983

“HOBT has brought hope and optimism to their street corner. It is hard to imagine a community-based arts group more committed to their neighborhood.”  ~ Vincent James, in testimony to the Minneapolis City Council, 1996

About Our Name

Click here to learn how we chose our name, In the Heart of the Beast

2009 Board
of Directors

• Mary Lynn Pulscher, Chair
• Sue Melrose, Vice Chair
• Susan Claeys, Treasurer
• Michael Brown, Secretary
• Ed Crouter
• Kathee Foran
• Dan Herber
• Ed McFadden
• Dan Newman
• Ann O’Neill, CSJ
• Sandy Spieler
• Anne Ulseth
• Mary Zilinski

HOBT Staff

• Sandy Spieler, Artistic Director
• Kathee Foran,
  Executive Director
• Katy Peters, Financial Manager
• Alison Heimstead,
  Performance Curator
• Melissa Koch, Community Programs Director
• Margery Otto,
  Volunteer Coordinator
• Paul Robinson, Company Manager, Rental Coordinator
• Alina Campana, Communications and Development Coordinator
• Bart Buch,
  Education Co-Director
• Julie Kastigar Boada,
  Education Co-Director
• Esther Ouray, Associate Artist
• Laurie Witzkowski,
  Associate Artist
• Brie Jonna, Office Coordinator, info@hobt.org

“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