New puppet concert series co-produced by Music Animated and In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre
BY STEPHANIE ROGERS
Like all of our neighbors, In the Heart of the Beast has been processing recent events in Minneapolis. We feel the desperation of our community, and long to find ways of coming together, to hold space, to find peace. Through Light Up Lake Street we have made some amazing new partnerships. Folks from Southside Community Health Services, Red Door, Sisters Camelot, and Mobile Loaves and Fishes Minneapolis have been working with us throughout the summer to provide free health services, delicious food and fun art projects to our neighbors. We will continue to activate our little corner as a space for community and art. We are also working to shine a bright light on the positive stories in our community through Music Animated.
A new puppet concert series co-produced by Music Animated and In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre features performers and uplifting stories from the neighborhood and a chance to experience music like never before. These concerts bring together puppeteers and musicians to create an immersive experience similar to a live music video or a musician accompanying a silent film. The first show in the series features the layered, melodic rhythms of Martin Dosh and the art direction of Bart Buch.
Buch draws from work done with local youth through In the Heart of the Beast”'s Phillips Project. In collaboration with young people in the neighborhood, Buch recorded interviews with people he calls Neighborhood Helpers. These stories are audibly and visually layered over Dosh”'s compositions to highlight people who are sources of light in Phillips and Powderhorn ”“ communities that both Buch and Dosh call home. Buch says “I know that there are so many positive things in the neighborhood, so I went to find them.” His goal for this piece is to “tease out the light, call out the beauty, invoke the poetry of the place and people and dance in-between to hold up the shining, strong, vibrant, diverse spirits and say ”˜THIS Is Who We Are.”'”
For Buch, launching this new series with Dosh was a clear choice. He says, “Dosh uses technology in an organic way. His electronic music is infused with love. I feel lucky to work with him every time because the puppets and music fit together like hand in glove.” Their Music Animated performances build on 12 years of creating transformative artistic events together to make a truly unique concert, enhanced by the intimate scale of the venue. Puppeteers Seth Eberle, Angela Olson, and Laurie Witzkowski join Buch and Dosh onstage to bring this vision to life.
Music Animated featuring Dosh runs October 20 ”“ 22nd. All of the performances are family-friendly, but parents may want to bring the kids to the 2pm matinee on Saturday, October 22nd, when tickets for children are only $2. All other tickets are $20. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Metropolitan Regional Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
Stephanie Rogers is the HOBT Marketing Coordinator
