BY ED FELIEN
We just received an announcement that Heart of the Beast is planning to sell the Avalon theater property and move to an as yet undetermined new home where “the new location will be centered on learning and development by providing after school programs, camps, storytime, artist and puppeteer training, and offer a more accessible space to all participants. It will also house the puppet library, be a place for artist collaboration and idea sharing, and continue to be a space for puppet performances that have been a part of HOBT for 50 years.”
It sounds like what they want is a place in a Minneapolis Public School, and the best place (in my opinion) for them would be in the Laura Ingles Wilder complex next to Powderhorn Park, the site of their annual impromptu Mayday Festival.
Please contact School Board Members and discuss this possibility. This after-school and weekend programing for young people in our community would be a remarkable and wondrous affirmation of cultural life in South Minneapolis.
The HOBT press release:
Heart of the Beast is Moving!
Going Forward in a New Location and Expanding Programming:
After 36 years at The Avalon Theatre in Minneapolis, In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre (HOBT) intends to move to a new location and sell the building. HOBT has always been a place that welcomes all no matter where it’s been located. From its humble beginnings inside a church basement, to existing inside a storefront building before settling into the Avalon Theatre, the organization helps nurture creative empowerment through the joy and magic of puppetry and education. Now, that legacy will continue in its new home.
“We look forward to creating and sharing collaborative spaces for artists, and comfortable, sensory-friendly spaces for anyone in the neurodivergent and disabled community,” says Elina Kotlyar, Interim Executive Director of HOBT. “As we look for a new space, we are mindful of creating performance and engagement spaces accessible to all. That includes being near a bus line, having parking and bike racks, and a stage that can be accessed without stairs. We also plan to have a workshop space that better fits the needs of our artists and participants.”
The move from The Avalon is a strategic one as Heart of the Beast continues to expand its reach further in the Twin Cities community. Once chosen, the new location will be centered on learning and development by providing after school programs, camps, storytime, artist and puppeteer training, and offer a more accessible space to all participants. It will also house the puppet library, be a place for artist collaboration and idea sharing, and continue to be a space for puppet performances that have been a part of HOBT for 50 years. It will allow Heart of the Beast to continue its connections with artists and the community with even more programing that is currently unable to be produced with the limitations of The Avalon Theatre.
“I believe that moving not only allows us to tailor the space to our community’s needs, but it’s also a great way of letting folks know that we are here to stay and have big plans for moving forward with our fantastic programming led by our amazing community of artists and puppeteers,” says Rachel Beaver-Scott, Puppet Librarian and Storyteller. “There is so much fun to be had, and I can’t wait to welcome everyone to our bright, new, accessible space!”
Prior to a future move to its new home, Heart of the Beast will continue its slate of programming not only at the Avalon but around the community. These events are open to the public.
December:
• Puppet Library (1st and 3rd Saturday) 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Puppet making workshops.
Join artist Jake Quatt and make dancing fish puppets at Midtown Global Market (Dec. 14) from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Join artist Spencer Arevalo and build marionettes out of recycled kitchen materials at the Avalon Theatre (Dec. 21) from 10:30 a.m. to noon.
• Lantern building workshop series at The Avalon (Dec. 4, 6, 11, 13, 18). All are invited to come to one or more of these workshops to create their very own lantern, plus help one of our puppeteer artists make a large animal puppet lantern.
• Winter Solstice Event (Dec. 21). Bring your lantern for a procession to the Powderhorn Park lake. There will be local musicians and food during this event.
• MIA Family Day storytime (Dec. 8).
• Storytime at St. Paul Library (Dec. 14, 21, 28).
Heart of the Beast is also working with schools, centers, churches, and more in the community for private events as well:
• Mask Making residency at Arcadia Charter School.
• Storytime at St. David’s
Center.
• Afterschool puppet making at Little Earth housing complex.
• Storytime at Mt. Olivet
Lutheran Church.
