Heart of the Beast Theater 1980-99

In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theater 

I had always wanted my art to “help save the world”.  When I finally went to Heart of the Beast, I found my tribe. I found others who wanted the same thing. And we had this dynamic form called Puppet Theater. This uses all the art forms to express the idea: visual, dance, music, movement, and words. 

I arrived in the beginning of the Water Project.  A three year plan to expose the poisoning of the Mississippi River, to tell the history of this area, and to explore water as a metaphor for how all life is connected.  

We created many shows about water which culminated in “The Circle of Water Circus”, a 25 person touring show. We traveled down the river by boat, accompanied by two unreliable vehicles, from Brainard to New Orleans. This 6 months was a highlight of my life. 

As we built the show camped in Alma, Wisconsin,  we had the option to create our own show as a side show. I built the “Bodyless Head,” described in Body/MInd. 

Work at Heart of the Beast included May Day. This annual event was living, Art for Social Change. It built community through month long workshops that were free and open to all. The workshops were to build the parade that tells a story. This story grew out of community sessions where people spoke about what story needed to be told each year. 

I was a staff artist for five years 1980 – 85. Here I learned the form of puppet and mask theater and continued to make my own shows. I returned each spring  to work on May Day until 1999 when I returned to the University of Minnesota to get my teaching license in art education. 

Much gratitude to Sandy Spieler and In the Heart of the Beast Theater. 

I have only a few photos of what I made over those years.