Pickup Truck Opera riffs on episodes of Homer’s Odyssey in a multi-episode traveling saga! Like a theatrical ice cream truck, our pop-up spectacle brings music, and fun to neighborhoods, parks, dirt roads, and alleyways. It’s fun for all ages.
Like many great epics, our opera is a trilogy of mini-performances that can be viewed individually on a summer evening, or all at once on a weekend afternoon.
THE MUSIC of Claudio Monteverdi’s Il ritorno d’Ulisse in patria (The Return of Ulysses to His Homeland), and the tunes of Dolly Parton.
THE CAST is seven spirited performers, with fiddle, banjo, pump organ, and puppets, the epic comes to colorful life in bite-size installments.
THE STAGE is a 2011 Ford Ranger Pickup and flatbed trailer: we can take it almost anywhere!
THE STORY features Cyclopses, Sirens, and mythic monsters alongside humans battling to be reunited following war.
Pop-up performances are approximately 25-minute “episodes”. The show is designed to meet communities in their own neighborhood. These performances are great for block gatherings, private parties, festivals, and summer recreation programs.
There are three episodes we are performing in 2021.
- Episode 1: Penelope and the Carnival of Menace
- Episode 2: The Voyage of Ulysses
- Episode 3: Telemachus Fights Back.
Full epic performance is approximately 90 minutes. It is designed for a large outdoor green space on a weekend afternoon. We have performed in parks, arboretums, farms, orchards, and vineyards.
We will work with partners to coordinate marketing and access services so that all can be welcome at our performances.
We are committed to ensuring economic access for our unique performances, transforming opera into a neighborhood experience. Support from our funders, many individual gifts, and the Minnesota State Arts Board allows us to reach many different types of audiences.
