The MayDay Parade and Festival has been an iconic, Minneapolis grassroots spectacle of wonder going on 39 years—organized, hosted, and lead by In the Heart of the Beast Theatre, yet created by hundreds and involving thousands of community members and artists of all kinds. The culminating MayDay Ceremony in Powderhorn Park (with its Tree of Life Ceremony) has become a joyous annual ritual for nearly 50,000 people in the Twin Cities.

But we are at financial crossroads: We reduced MayDay’s budget by 33%—and can do it only inside a commitment to build a broad base of public financial support for this very public event.

MayDay can be supported by the constituents for whom it means so much. It takes both money and volunteers! If everyone who comes to MayDay contributed $5-$15, Mayday would flourish.

Let’s build a broad base of support to ensure MayDay’s sustainability for years to come! In the Heart of the Beast Theatre cannot do it alone.
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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

One of the most inspiring displays of collaborative community building… Their ability to work with such a wide and varied range of ages and interests was truly inspiring and the results they achieved were truly remarkable.
—Joseph Tadie, in response to an HOBT residency at St. Mary’s University of MN, 2009

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 ***
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For 38 years, In the Heart of the Beast Puppet & Mask Theatre has been combining flour, newspaper, paint, imagination, and community input to tell stories that explore and celebrate the human experience and the wonders of the world’s natural and cultural richness.

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 art brings people together. It creates and expands community.

The work of HOBT is strongly grounded in the concerns of its home neighborhood as we connect to regional and global issues. Through its artistry, the theatre brings people together in the hands-on creation of and participation in community-wide puppet and mask events.

In addition to the annual MayDay Parade and Festival, HOBT produces original plays for both family and adult audiences. The theatre engages adults, youth, community groups, and even whole towns in a range of creative education programs and collaborative experiences across Minnesota.