By SOPHIE HOOVER/Murphy News Service
The community-made puppets from In the Heart of the Beast Theatre have to be worn with a harness because of their size. MURPHY NEWS SERVICE PHOTOS BY SOPHIE HOOVER.
Twelve-foot-tall puppets were wandering around campus Wednesday to promote spiritual health. Did you see all six?
If you were by Coffman Memorial Union on the U campus on Wednesday afternoon, you might have spotted the huge, roaming puppets worn by performers from In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre. They didn’t say much but they were happy to give high-fives and take pictures.
The living puppets were accompanied by some representatives from UMN’s Center for Spirituality and Healing. The representatives were spreading the word about their 30×30 campaign, a program that aims to get people outside in October for 30 minutes a day every day.
Kristen Mastel, one of the representatives, says there will activities going on every day of October to show people the stress-reducing powers of nature and the outdoors. “Everyone should take a pausing moment from their phones,” she said.
Some of the 30×30 events that will be happening include yoga, slacklines, meet-and-greets with animals, and a trip to the Arboretum.
In the Heart of the Beast is a puppeteering and performance organization in the Twin Cities that is well-known for their MayDay performances. Their mission is to bring people together through the power of puppeteering and performance.
Reporter Sophie Hoover is studying journalism at the University of Minnesota.