By the Board of In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre
Reprinted with permission by HOBT, edited for length. Find the full announcement at https://hobt.org/home/mayday-released/.
In February 2023, the Board of In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre (HOBT) decided to release MayDay Celebrations to the community. Following our announcement on March 15, 2023, future MayDay events or actions will be independently produced by community groups, and not part of official HOBT programming.
A BOARD DECISION
After years of evaluations and consultation with artists, staff, MayDay Council (MDC), and community members, the HOBT Board of Directors voted unanimously to release MayDay, as part of our responsibility to the long-term financial health of the organization and alignment with our shared values. This means MayDay will no longer be hosted by HOBT. This was a difficult decision to make.
ABOUT MAYDAY COUNCIL AND RE-IMAGINING MAYDAY:
In 2019, HOBT announced this would be the last MayDay-as-it-was, and that the organization would be taking time off from producing MayDay to reimagine ways this celebration could be more decentralized, inclusive, accessible, and sustainable. The 2019 MayDay received record donations. These funds enabled HOBT to engage with Free Black Dirt to select and facilitate a MayDay Council, through a process of community-nominations. In its first year, the MDC discussed the dynamics and patterns of the MayDay Parade and Festival creation process. They developed a set of Values and Affirmations to guide future MayDay creation-processes. These Values include: Reparations, Intergenerational Experiences, Decolonizing and Decentralizing, Accessibility, Accountability, and Abolition.
A MATTER OF FINANCES AND VALUES
After evaluations and discussions with the MayDay Council, updating our Mission, Vision, and Values, and completing a 3-year Strategic Plan, the board unanimously decided it was wisest to focus our resources and attention on helping HOBT thrive as a puppet and mask theater and educational institution. We agreed that HOBT doesn’t have the energy or financial capacity to sustain itself as a community-based theater and produce MayDay.
FUTURE MAYDAYS: DECENTRALIZED AND FOR ALL
One of the MayDay Council’s Affirmations is “Decentralize, and remember that MayDay is bigger than any one organization or neighborhood.” The Board of HOBT hopes that all those co-creating future celebrations for MayDay will work together, and that the MDC’s Values and Affirmations are read, shared, and taken to heart.
