In the Heart of the Beast Puppet Mask Theatre production

• Co-created with director Andrew Kim, designer and performer Masanari Kawahara.
• Written by Aditi Brennan Kapil.
• Music by Laura Harada and Tim O’Keefe.
• Also featuring Julian McFaul, Janaki Ranpura and Sandy Spieler.

A wealthy pampered prince wanders outside his palace and meets, for the first time, the old, the sick and the dead. Moved by profound compassion, he decides to throw away his worldly ways and sets off on a quest to experience, understand and, ultimately, overcome the curse of suffering.

Thus starts the heroic journey of Siddhatta Gotama, the young man who, in search of his own humanity, becomes the Buddha.

Told through the eyes of Channa, the prince’s bumbling but well-meaning charioteer (played by Julian McFaul), GOTAMA is a timeless tale of awakening to one’s true purpose.

Blending elements of traditional Asian and cutting-edge puppetry, physical theater, dynamic scenery, and live, original music, GOTAMA features the puppetry of HOBT designer Masanari Kawahara, Sandy Spieler, and San Francisco shadow puppeteer Janaki Ranpura. GOTAMA marks the directing return of Seattle’s Andrew Kim whose previous Twin Cities productions, ”City Rhapsody” (HOBT) and “Passage” (Theater Mu), earned him the City Pages’ 2001 Best Director Award.

Supported in part by grants from the National Endowment for the Arts and the Jim Henson Foundation.

“Lovely, meditative, at times sublime.” -City Pages Spotlight

“Puppetry engages audience to join Buddha on his journey… powerfully and movingly presented” -Star Tribune

“lovely images, poetic metaphors and thoughtful music” -Pioneer Press