Pickup Truck Opera Sept 14, 3:00 p.m.
Mixed Precipitation brings its beloved Pickup Truck Opera to Swede Hollow Park (657 E Beaumont Street / Drewry Tunnel entrance) at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, Sept 14. The show is free and open to the public, but reservations are strongly recommended. RSVP here.
Audiences are encouraged to bring a lawn chair and beverages for comfort and hydration. Each performance lasts 75-90 minutes, and all shows are outdoors.
Pickup Truck Opera: Volume 4—Faust is a hilarious mashup of scifi, a novel out of German Romanticism, and the music of Depeche Mode. Mixed Precipitation celebrates 16 years of outdoor summer fun with a new production adapted from composer Charles Gounod’s 1859 opera Faust, with a libretto by Jules Barbier and Michael Carré.
In the not-so-distant future, scientist and entrepreneur Dr. Johann Faust faces a planet in crisis but no motivation to spare humanity its fate. He yearns to find a life of meaning and love. Méphistophélès, a mysterious extraplanar entity with a devilish charm, appears with a bargain: Relocate Earth’s climate refugees to a lunar colony and win the love of the brilliant physicist Marguerite. Together, Faust and his mysterious companion launch a fanatical quest to save humanity and reach beyond the limits of human potential. Dr. Faust finds himself torn between the love of his life and the conditions of his bargain. The music of Depeche Mode is laced into this tale, featuring the work of songwriters Vince Clarke and Martin Gore.
Tenor Maurice Fields leads the cast as Faust. Bass Justin Spenner returns to Mixed Precipitation in the role of Méphistophélès, and sopranos Caroline Kouma and Corissa Bussian split the role of Marguerite. Galina Đorđević, Joshua Eidem, Joni Griffith, Jill Morgan, and Nick Miller play multiple roles and multiple instruments under the leadership of Ruschman. The production is completed with contributions by designer Alex Hathaway, costume designer Rhiannon Fiskradatz, props and supertitles designer Karly Bergman, and stage manager Ches Cipriano.
Monthly Weed Warriors
The Conservancy and Friends of Swede Hollow are gathering a team of “Weed Warriors” to help maintain the redesigned Swede Hollow Park Woodland Garden on the site of the old Hamm Mansion at 665 Greenbrier St. Volunteers gather at 4:00 p.m. one Wednesday each month during the growing season. The next opportunity is Wednesday, Aug 28. If you are interested in becoming a “Warrior,” ask to be added to the list for upcoming dates (usually the third Wednesday of the month, but some months may vary.) No experience necessary. And you’ll learn about native woodland plants while having a great time with neighbors.