Twin Cities Family: In the Heart of the Beast Puppet Theatre: Saturday Show for Kids

In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre Saturday Shows for Kids
1500 E. Lake St. Minneapolis MN 55408
Box office: 612-721-2535
Tickets: $2-$4
Make 'N' Take Craft: $5 per child, $3 per adult

From October to March, In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre (referred to as HOBT) performs kids show on Saturdays at 10:00 am and 12:00 pm in the Avalon Lobby of the theatre building. In between the shows, they host a Make 'N' Take craft project that is directly related to the puppet show.

I have been wanting to go for over a year. Finally, I was able to work it into my schedule to be able to get there. With the help of my husband, we were able to divide and conquer with him taking the girls on a mini adventure and me taking the boys to the theatre.

It was a bright and beautiful Saturday morning when we took a turn down Lake Street, parked in the lot behind the theatre and in front of the church (park here if you decide to go), and unloaded ourselves from the van. We strolled down 15th Avenue and into the theatre building.

To our right, the lobby was set up for a performance with a few chairs and a carpet laid out on the floor in the front. I'm sure this was to make as much seating as possible.

We bypassed the chairs to be able to sit on the carpet closer to the front. All around us were masks and more masks and puppets. These puppets were not like muppets. It's not that they are super scary puppets, but they are not the muppets. You may need to let your child know this ahead of time. My boys were completely intrigued, and Dash who seems to be afraid of everything was not nervous about them. But just keep in mind that they are not muppets.

We sat for 10 minutes, trying to keep our stuff together and a yet make enough room for everyone to be able to sit, while this man played his banjo very softly.

I have never heard a banjo played so softly. I didn't know that a banjo could be played softly. But it was LOVELY! In fact, the banjo and player led us to interact with part of the story. We got to be the birds: woodpeckers--"rapa-rapa-rap" on our knees, whipporwills--"Whip! or will Whip! or will," and chickadees--"dee chicka dee chicka dee dee dee."

And then the story of Eloise Butler, The Wild Gardener, began. Martha, the puppet, was the storyteller who kept coming back with more of the story.

As she told the story, we met the many different types of puppets. (I love these chickens! They weren't vital to the story, but I thought they were super cute!)

And this guy!

I think he may have been a professor. Anyway, whatever he was, he taught us about a bog.

The play concluded with how Eloise Butler died and her ashes were spread over her garden in Theodore Wirth Park.

It sounds so morbid, but I assure you, it was done in good taste. .

After the show, some of the puppeteers came out to interact with the kids.

JackJack was very curious about this guy.

I really wanted to to the Craft. Dash had a wonderful time, but JackJack was ready to be done by this point. Had I been paying attention, I would have read the signs differently.

But even though JackJack was beyond a pill and I was not dealing with him as a mature mother, these photos sure make it look like we had a fun time.

Mask Pattern

Final product

This was our instructor, Stacy, who was delightful and patient. An excellent combination.

Highlights

The puppet show was perfect for kids. The story was simple but had enough action to keep the little ones' attention.
The puppeteers were super fun to watch. Some of the puppets were designed so that you could see the puppeteers' hands and it made your giggle.
The Craft was worth what you paid for it. It wasn't just a little chinsy piece of junk. It was substantial and it took work to complete. The little girl sitting across the table from us kept putting colored tape over the eye holes until her dad finally said, "Do you want to be able to see through the mask?" It was really cute.

Disadvantages

Sitting on the floor was really uncomfortable. While it was super nice to be close and it made it possible to have a lot more people in the lobby, it was really hard to sit for the performance after a while.
Nothing was amplified, so if you child started a tantrum, the audience couldn't hear what was being said. (that didn't really happen, but we came absolutely close)
HOBT isn't in a well known theatre district so it's a little harder to find.

I would certainly go again. If I went with my young boys (ages 2 and 4), I would make sure to arrive early enough to be able to get a chair, and I probably wouldn't stay for the Craft. If I went with my elementary aged girls, I would totally sit on the floor, and I would most likely do the craft. No doubt about it.

HOBT is hosting one more Saturday Morning Puppet Show for Kids this coming Saturday, March 9, 2013. The Country Bumpkin. If you have a free morning, go check it out. It's a great cultural experience.

The next big family friendly event they host is the May Day Parade which concludes at Powderhorn Park. I am hoping I will be able to attend this year with my crew!