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December 10-20, 2009
La Natividad
The Nativity Story According to
St. Matthew and St. Luke
La
Historia de Navidad
de Acuerdo a San Mateo y San Lucas
“En el nombre del cielo pedimos posada...”
“In
the name of heaven we ask for a place to stay...”
This alternative holiday show combines street theatre, HOBT’s expressive puppetry, and an outdoor candle-lit procession. Much more than a straightforward enactment of the Christmas story, La Natividad unites evocative theater with an open-armed community celebration of inclusion and generosity. It has become a tradition for many in the Twin Cities who wish to push beyond the commercialism that abounds during this season and experience the essence of
La Natividad brings the Christmas story into this time and the complexity of our immediate neighborhood. Initially conceived to bring all residents of the area together, the performance is bilingual (in Spanish and English) and incorporates the Mexican holiday tradition of Las Posadas. Throughout the performance, the audience moves from place to place and becomes part of the story. Beginning at HOBT’s Theater and Mercado Central, the audience accompanies Maria and José through the streets as they look for refuge. The procession ends with a magical, puppet-filled Nativity, plus a fiesta— complete with music and food.
Presented in partnership with St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church and Mercado Central.
Audience comments
“Se ve muy lindo y me dio mucho gusto verlo. Especialmente me intereso la conexion con la injusticia en aquella epoca y nuestro tiempo. Muchisimas gracias.”
“Beautifully done. Loved the intergenerational and multicultural cast. I appreciate the culturally relevant depiction of the Nativity scene/story. Great job!”
“Unique and well-performed. Really engaging for all ages in my group 7-50.”
“Heartwarming on a cold December night.”
“Delightful, prayerful, educational, welcoming. Thank you!”
Watch the Trailer
"What an extraordinary experience! ... It was the best, most moving, most spiritual telling of the Christmas story that I have ever seen. Like the three wise men who thought they were following a star and wound up face-to-face with God, I thought I was just going to a play. I cannot thank you enough." -Patrick D & Family
photos by Bruce Silcox
Performance Info
- Performed in English & Spanish.
- Audiences must be mobile and dressed appropriately for the outdoors; the procession is 2.5 blocks long.
Reviews
“There might not be a place in the Twin Cities where you get more bang for your aesthetic holiday buck than at In the Heart of the Beast Puppet and Mask Theatre's roving production of La Natividad... there's something raggedy and warm and heartbreakingly sweet about this production.
Perhaps, despite the larger-than-life puppets, it's the idea that this telling of the Nativity story comes from an acutely human perspective.
Maybe it's the movement and the final, literal coming in from the
cold. Whatever the reason, there's something scruffily divine about La
Natividad - both in the aesthetic and theological
senses of the word.”
-Dominic Papatola, Pioneer Press
Read
the full review