Pickup Truck Opera at Swede Hollow Park, St. Paul

Mixed Precipitation

An action-packed outdoor opera adventure.  It's Italian Baroque, Dolly Parton tunes, and ancient epic mythology.

Swede Hollow Park - Drewry Street Pedestrian Tunnel

The creators of the Picnic Operetta bring you a fresh take on outdoor opera! Mythic monsters, enchanting sirens, and a flesh-eating cyclops. All this epic action packed onto a pickup truck! This adaptation of Homer’s Odyssey, uses selections from Monteverdi’s 1639 opera, Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria (The Return of Ulysses to his Homeland), told with the spirit of a country carnival. Our production features a musical mix of baroque melodies and Dolly Parton tunes. The Pickup Truck Opera is family-friendly fun for all ages. A suggested donation of $10 – 25 per person helps us keep gas in the tank. All are welcome at our performancesThis performance is approximately 75 to 90 minutes and includes all THREE EPISODES of The Odyssey. Episode 1: Penelope and the Carnival of Menace Episode 2: The Voyage of Ulysses Episode 3: Telemaco Fights Back. PARKING and ACCESS INFO: Our event is on the north side of Swede Hollow Park, in an area sometimes called "Swedehenge". Parking is available on the street and at Hope Community Academy (720 Payne Avenue). The best entrance to the park is through the Drewry Street tunnel on the northeast side of the park. Follow the asphalt path too the bottom of the hollow. Our performance takes place on the grassy hill at the bottom of the hollow. Leashed dogs are WELCOME at this performance. COVID PROTOCOLS: We will follow CDC guidelines for outdoor public events. Masks, social distancing, and a great attitude encouraged. (Vaccinations are great too). Our company is entirely vaccinated and we will be singing without masks. ABOUT OUR TEAM: The production features Ulysses and his crew returning from 10 years of war. They encounter monsters, vengeful gods, sirens, and a cyclops in a mythic, carnival madhouse. His wife Penelope contends with intruders in her home while holding out hope for Ulysses’ return. Their son Telemaco faces the future: inheriting a world recovering from war, families coping with long separation, and hopeful reconciliation. Mixed Precipitation welcomes soprano Momoko Tanno and baritone Rodolfo Neito in the roles of Penelope and Ulysses. The cast is anchored by a trio of versatile performers and instrumentalists - Joni Griffith and Jason Kornelis songwriter Sarina Partridge - on banjo, cello, fiddle, and pump organ. Youth performers Akane and Andrew Niemi join us in a variety of roles, dancing and making music for this multi-generational musical extravaganza.Leading the creation of this project is music director and composer Gary Ruschman, Guiding the staging is is Mixed Precipitation found, Scotty Reynolds and Jåc Miller who has been the creative backbone for many Picnic Operetta productions, as well as outdoor puppetry pageants with Barebones Productions. Rhiannon Fiskradatz returns for her third Mixed Precipitation production, creating puppets and costumes, after many summer seasons with Circus Juventas. Duane Tougas is creating the sets and props for our mobile stage, after nearly 20 years with Heart of the Beast.