THE CAST : in order of appearance
HOFFMANN – Felix Aguilar Tomlinson (he/him)
Felix Aguilar Tomlinson is a singer-actor based out of the Twin Cities. He has performed extensively with local MN-based companies, including Theater Latte Da, Nautilus Music Theatre, the Schubert Club, Lyric Opera of the North, the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra, and the Celtic Junction Arts Center. Outside of MN, Felix has performed with companies including Chautauqua Opera, Tri-Cities Opera, the Boston Pops, Boston Lyric Opera, and Geneva Light Opera.
This is Felix’s first pick-up-truck opera with Mixed Precipitation! He exists happily in the intersection of music and theater that both opera and musical theatre inhabit, and is thrilled to be getting to explore that space with the company this summer. He has worked with Mixed Precipitation in the past as a teaching artist at the MN State Academy for the Blind, where professional artists worked with the students to devise, write, and record their own audio dramas based on classic operas.
You can see Felix later this season at the Schubert Club this October, in A Three Tenor Christmas at the Chanhassen Fireside Theater in November, and in Tapestry Choral Collective’s performances of Rachmaninoff’s All Night Vigil in January and their Tapestries of Song concert in June.
HOFFMANN – Roland Hawkins II (he/him)
Roland Hawkins II (Tenor) boasts over 20 years of professional experience across a diverse array of musical venues and genres. He has worked with local and national institutions such as the Minnesota Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Portland Opera, Chanhassen Dinner Theater, and the Minnesota State Fair Grandstand. Roland is excited to return as a “Pick-Up Truck Operetta” alumni and continue this wonderful tradition of bringing classical and contemporary music productions to local and community spaces.
NIKKI, GIULIETTA, VIOLIN & CELLO – Joni Griffith (she/her)
When not on her bicycle, Joni Griffith can be found performing as an actor, musician, and most recently a choreographer. She is a frequent collaborator with physical theater company Combustible Company and an associate artist with The Birth Play Project. Outside of theater, catch her singing in her favorite indie glam-pop band d’lakes, or playing synth and singing back up vocals for KYM & The Kick! In addition to performing, Joni has written, recorded, and performed original music for multiple shows in the midwest and east coast, including composing the choral harmonies for ANTI-GONE (Needs More Work Productions) – awarded “Best Tragedy” of the 2025 NYC Fringe Festival. This fall she will be working as the musician for Ten Thousand Thing in their production of As You Like It.
Ask her about her solo bicycle ride across the United States of America if you want a good story or two. Many of her adventures can be found on her Youtube channel – a place where she seeks to fuse her love of music with her passion for cycling in a fun and educational manner. www.jonigriffith.com
A personal note: this show is very special as it marks my tenth summer opera with Mixed Precipitation! A huge thank you to Scotty for his generosity, mentorship, and spirit & thank you to Lizz for recommending me as your cover way back in 2016, my life would not be the same without this project.
ENSEMBLE & AUDIENCE SERVICES – Alex Yang (he/him)
Alex Yang (he/him) is an actor, puppeteer, and singer in his fifth season with Mixed Precipitation, following The Return of King Idomeneo, Faust, The Magic Flute, and The Odyssey. He values this project’s unique intersection of music, physical comedy, and community. Alex also often collaborates with Phantom Chorus Theatre (Dealing with Dragons) and Minnesota Opera (The Barber of Seville). Vote for the arts!
LINDORF & GUITAR – Rodolfo Nieto (he/him)
Rodolfo Nieto is a singer, actor, and songwriter based in Minneapolis. Joining for his third production with Mixed Precipitation, he previously performed in their Pickup Truck Opera Volume I, “The Odyssey,” and Volume II, “The Magic Flute.” A frequent presence on Twin Cities theater stages, he has performed with Theater Latté Da, History Theatre, Mixed Blood Theatre, Minnesota Opera, Artistry, and others. He also frequently sings with Border CrosSing, a St. Paul based choral organization, participating in their live performances, recording projects, and educational outreach.
As a songwriter, Rodolfo has written art songs and arias – many of which reflect his Hispanic heritage – as well as a short recipe-based operita and The Minnesota Beer Song. You can hear some of his work on his YouTube page, @rodolfonieto8604.
Headshot credit Rue42 Photography
LINDORF – Andrew Wilkowske (he/him)
Hailed by Opera News as “a natural comedian and a fine singer,” Andrew Wilkowske is a dynamic performer known for his engaging stage presence in opera and theater. He has appeared in more than 35 productions with Minnesota Opera and has performed as a principal artist with companies including Los Angeles Opera, Des Moines Metro Opera, Cincinnati Opera, Glimmerglass Opera, Austin Opera, Atlanta Opera, Opera Philadelphia, Chicago Opera Theater, and the Minnesota Orchestra.
Recognized for his “vocal swagger” in standard repertoire, he has also taken part in major world premieres, including Silent Night by Kevin Puts and Mark Campbell and The Grapes of Wrath by Ricky Ian Gordon and Michael Korie. Wilkowske has also created genre-crossing projects such as Guns N’ Rosenkavalier, Macbeth and the Weïrd Sisters, and A Night at the POPera. A native of Willmar, Minnesota, he trained at the University of Minnesota Duluth and the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.
SPALLANZANI & ACCORDION – Trevor Woggon (he/him)
Trevor Woggon is a Minneapolis-based bass who is excited to be in his second Mixed Precipitation show this summer! A student of Metropolitan Opera alumnus Dennis Petersen, Trevor’s powerful vocal presence and opulent tone make him a sought-after artist in opera, choral, and musical theater settings. Past roles include High Priest Caiaphas (Jesus Christ Superstar), King Balthazar (Amahl and the Night Visitors) and Pish Tush (The Mikado). He also sings with the Minnesota Chorale, and serves as the Bass Section Leader at Hamline United Methodist Church. In addition to his vocal work, Trevor is a music director, arranger, and orchestrator and collaborates frequently with local musicians. Check out his website at trevorwoggon.com
OLYMPIA & VIOLIN – Madison Holtze (she/her)
Lyric Coloratura Soprano Madison Holtze is thrilled to be making her debut with Mixed Precipitation! Holtze is known for her “liquid, silvery” and “dulcet” soprano voice, and “imbuing [her] characters with great flair. In 2026, she premiered the role of the Queen of the Night in The Magic Flute and the Lost Prince with Saint Croix Valley Opera and sang as one of eight voices in Hydrogen Jukebox with Opera Reading Project. She also sang Soprano 1 in the workshop of Laila Starr (MN Opera) and has been cast in the mainstage performance (premiering in October). In 2025, she made her New York debut as a Young Artist with Teatro Nuovo, where she covered the role of Amina and sang in the chorus of La Sonnambula and Macbeth. Favorite previous roles include The Princess (Transformations, Opera Reading Project,) Little Red (Little Red Riding Hood; Opera on the James Young Artist Program,) Mabel (Pirates of Penzance; Madison Savoyards,) Zina (Dark Sisters; Journey North Opera,) and Ex-Girlfriend/Violin 1 (Once; Theater L’Homme Dieu.)
OLYMPIA & ENSEMBLE – Lizz Windnagel (they/she)
Lizz Windnagel is a multi-disciplinary singing actor, director, educator, and artist. Lizz is interested in performance that is uncanny, hilarious, and virtuosic. Currently based in Chicago, their unique career has led them to professional and indie music and theater scenes in Minnesota, Calgary Canada, and Chicago. This is Lizz’s 5th time doing Mixed Precipitation’s outdoor opera and it is one of their favorite projects to perform in. Past Mixed P credits include The Magic Flute, Don Giovanni, Alcina, King Arthur. Lizz has performed and understudied at many theaters in the Twin Cities including An Opera Theater, Open Eye, Heart of the Beast, Theater Latte Da, Theater Forever, and more. From 2015-2018 they toured with early music group, The Rose Ensemble, where they were featured as a soloist on The Roots of Bluegrass touring production. Lizz has produced and directed many original theater pieces that usually feature clown, singing, or puppets. These pieces have been shown as a part of puppet festivals, indie venues, and mainstage university productions (UCalgary). Lizz holds Bachelors degrees in Vocal Performance and English Literature from the University of Minnesota and an MFA in Theater Directing from the University of Calgary. Lizz is excited to start working as a teaching artist with the Chicago Lyric Opera this Fall, but also thrilled to be back in their hometown of Minneapolis that they love so dearly!
ANTONIA & ENSEMBLE – Alexis Reed (she/her)
Soprano Alexis Reed is a Twin Cities-based soprano recognized for her “dramatic conviction and gorgeous tone” (Cleveland Classical). Recent credits include Electra (The Return of King Idomeneo), Dahlia (Green Thumbed), the Sandman and Dew Fairy (Hansel and Gretel), and Donna Elvira (Don Giovanni). Other roles include Fiordiligi (Così fan tutte), Helena (A Midsummer Night’s Dream), Nannetta (Falstaff), Lisette (La rondine), Miss Jessel (The Turn of the Screw), Léontine (L’Amant anonyme), Agnieska (She sees her lover in the light of morning), and Annina (La traviata).
Reed is especially fond of contemporary operatic repertoire, often amongst the first to read or perform a new work. Experience includes workshopping The Many Deaths of Laila Starr by Kamala Sankaram and Minita Gandhi, in which she will premiere the role of Lover 1, originating Dahlia and covering the role of Holly in the world premiere of Green Thumbed by Jamey Guzman and Tiffa Foster, performing as Mrs. X.E. in the second-ever production of Angel’s Bone by Du Yun and Ma in the third production of Proving Up by Missy Mazzoli, workshopping the role of Beatrice in Much Ado! by James Garner, and singing the world premiere of Soomin Kim’s Four Love Songs.
Professional highlights include performances with Minnesota Opera, Mixed Precipitation, Amelia Island Opera, Lakes Area Music Festival, Opera Athena, Really Spicy Opera, Skylark Opera Theatre, and Cleveland Opera Theater.
ANTONIA & ENSEMBLE – Elena Stabile (she/they)
Elena Stabile is a collaborative music theater performer and writer, multi-media artist, and educator based in the Twin Cities, MN. Learn more at elenastabile.com.
While this is Elena’s first Pickup Truck Opera, Elena has previously worked with Mixed Precipitation as both writer and singer on their recently workshopped adaptation of Carmen, and she looks forward to continuing development on that show once this summer’s tour is concluded.
CRESPEL & CELLO – Nick Miller (he/him)
Nick is excited to be back with the Pickup Truck! Previous Mixed Precipitation tours have included Idomeneo (Arbace) Faust (Valentine), The Magic Flute (Papageno), among others. Recently, he has also appeared in St. Croix Festival Theatre’s production of Shrek (Shrek) and Combustible Company’s Waking Miss Daisy (Alfred Uhry). He enjoys making music and theater across many genres and is thrilled to have so many great opportunities and collaborators in the Twin Cities!
GHOST of ANTONIA’S MOTHER & ENSEMBLE – Beth Gusenius (she/her)
Mezzo-soprano Beth Gusenius is thrilled to be making her Mixed Precipitation debut! She has been involved with the Twin Cities music scene for the past 25 years, singing with groups including Minnesota Chorale, Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company, University Of Minnesota Opera Theatre, VocalEssence, Minnesota Opera Chorus, and Lakes Area Music Festival, as well as serving as the alto section leader at Chapel Hills United Church of Christ in Edina. In addition to performing, Beth has studied musicology at the University of Minnesota and worked as an administrator for several local arts organizations and schools. She has a passion for early childhood music and teaches at Seward Child Care Center in Minneapolis and MiniApple International Montessori locations in Minneapolis, Roseville, and Oakdale. Beth is also the founder and director of Rock & Roll Kids Choir, a community children’s ensemble focused on learning and performing pop and rock classics. In addition to her professional gigs, she loves singing karaoke at the Uptown VFW or Vegas Lounge!
SCHLEMIL, ENSEMBLE & CLARINET – Joel Mathias (he/him)
Recent highlights include the Sergeant in Rossini’s The Barber of Seville (Minnesota Opera), the Notary in Donizetti’s Don Pasquale and Baritone Vocal Fellow with Lakes Area Music Festival, the title role in Verdi’s Falstaff (Opera Reading Project), Pa Zegner in Mazzoli’s Proving Up (Journey North Opera Company), and Junius in Britten’s Lucretia (AOT Opera Theatre). Joel grew up in White Bear Lake, MN, studied voice with John De Haan at the University of Minnesota, and currently resides in Minneapolis with his husband Chris, their dog Blair, and cats Shadow and Oliver. Joel currently studies with Dennis Petersen at 480 Arts.
SCHLEMIL, ENSEMBLE & SAXOPHONE – Eric Broker (he/him)
Eric Broker is an award-winning baritone, educator, writer, and arts leader. Praised by the Star Tribune for his “smooth, articulate baritone,” he has appeared with Minnesota Opera, Mill City Summer Opera, Lakes Area Music Festival, An Opera Theatre, Metamorphosis Opera Theater, Skylark Opera, songSLAM, Opera on Tap, Schubert Club, the St. John’s Abbey Schola, The St. John’s Boys’ Choir, the Northfield Community Band, the Cannon Valley Regional Orchestra, St. Olaf Cantorei, and The St. Olaf Choir, among others. He has performed for the King of Norway in Oslo, sung with the Eagles, and appeared in concerts ranging from opera and art song to multimedia and popular music projects. A recipient of a Minnesota State Arts Board grant, Eric is on the faculty at St. Olaf College, has been a guest lecturer at Juilliard, and is the former Arts Columnist for Twin Cities Pride Magazine. His broader arts career includes leadership roles at the Guthrie Theater and Minnesota Opera, alongside earlier communications and marketing experience with the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts and Walker Art Center.
VIOLIN SUB – Marc Harroo (he/him)
Marc Harroo is an active violinist, composer and educator based in Minnesota.. He serves as the Director of Youth Education for the Lakes Area Music Festival and is a member of Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra. He also serves as an adjunct lecturer of Violin and Viola at the University of Minnesota Duluth. https://www.marcharroomusic.com
THE CREW :
PRODUCER & STAGING DIRECTOR – Scotty Reynolds (he/him)
Scotty Reynolds (he/him) is a stage director, performer, and producer passionate about theatrical events that connect artists and community. His theater company, Mixed Precipitation, has been producing opera since 2008, including seventeen seasons of outdoor productions in community gardens, orchards, and farms throughout Minnesota. Favorite productions include the Olympic quadrangle opera and sport salon, Tonya and Nancy: The Opera, and Falstaff and the Working Wives of Lake County.
He has also performed with Frank Theatre, the History Theatre, and the departed Bedlam Theater. Scotty has had many outdoor adventures throughout the Midwest and New England with Tiger Lion Arts in Nature: A Walking Play. In 2023, he directed Twelve Angry Jurors at St. Croix Festival Theatre.
He is a recipient of the 2017 and 2025 Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant. He has 15 years of performance highlights as an instructor and director at the Interact Center for Visual and Performing Arts, including creating performances for the Walker Art Center’s Choreographer’s Evening and the Ivey Award-winning Broken Brain Summit.
MUSIC DIRECTOR & MUSICAL ARRANGEMENT & GUITAR – Gary Ruschman (he/him)
Serving Mixed Precipitation since 2017, Gary Ruschman is a critically-acclaimed performer, conductor, and composer who works in a broad range of musical traditions. He creates music for live performance, television, and film, heads the vocal and choral programs at North Hennepin Community College and St. Timothy Lutheran Church of St. Paul, and performs as a concert, stage, and recording artist.
Called “terrific” by MPLS.ST.PAUL Magazine, Ruschman toured the globe with Cantus, and has appeared in past seasons with NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts, Boston Pops, Portland Opera, Minnesota Orchestra and St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Bach Ensemble, Luminiscence, Mankato Symphony, Ballet San Jose, Minnesota Dance Theater, American Bach, and Festival Musique en L’Île de Paris.
Gary’s scores have been featured by BBC Two, C-SPAN, Minnesota Opera, New Age Notes, American Public Media, Madison Square Garden, and the Center for Interfaith Relations. https://www.youtube.com/GaryRuschman
STAGE MANAGER & SUPER TITLE DESIGN – Ches Cipriano (they/them)
Chen Cipriano is a Filipino, Queer, first-generation American based in Minneapolis. They operate as a community cultivator, producer/organizer, radical joy seeker and mixed-media collaborator. This is their third summer with Mixed Precipitation, but their first time designing the supertitles! Their artistic practice is rooted in puppetry, printmaking, and tickling curiosities. Since 2017, they have shared their work on- and off- stage coast-to-coast, and at venues as large as the National Puppet Slam and Dragon Con in Atlanta. Though they are often in various tech booths in the Twin Cities, you can also find them as one of the Producers of the Puppet Union’s “OHNO Shows,” and of the Art Shanty Projects, a festival held on a frozen lake in the winter. Connect with them on Instagram @chesarthey
DRAMATURGY – Val Fish (she/her)
Val is a dramaturg, historian, playwright, and actor currently pursuing a master’s in theatre and performance studies at University at Buffalo and is over the moon to be dramaturg-ing for Mixed Precipitation this summer! Aside from dramaturg-ing for U Buffalo and UW La Crosse, Val has also worked on The Hobbit and How to Catch Creation at Theatre in the Round Players. Find dramaturgy for Hoffmann and beyond @turg_is_da_word on Instagram and enjoy the show!!
SCRIPT ADAPTATION – Phill Takemura Sears (he/him)
Phill is a resident baritenor and librettist in the Twin Cities. He brings his “lush and powerful vocals” (Arthur Dorman, TalkinBroadway, 2025) to the role of Hoffmann!
Since 2018, Phill has performed with Minnesota Opera in roles and chorus, having helped premiere new works like Puckett’s The Fix , Prestini’s Edward Tulane, and the upcoming world premiere of Sankaram’s The Many Deaths of Laila Starr.
He has written poetry for sci-fi arias with Really Spicy Opera, vampiric lines for SongSlam, and now has happily contributed to writing the prologue, act 1 and the epilogue of these Tales of Hoffmann! He looks forward to developing and singing new works with local artists.
VIOLENCE & INTIMACY DIRECTOR – Tessa Dahlgren (she/her)
Tessa Dahlgren is a fight and intimacy director and an actor based in the Twin Cities. Her choreography and performances have traveled throughout the midwest to parks, bars, trolleys, farms, and theaters of all sizes. She loves bringing playful joy and thoughtful artistry to unexpected places. Training includes Intimacy Directors & Coordinators, Dueling Arts International, Society of American Fight Directors, University of Minnesota.
CHOREOGRAPHER – Antonia Perez (she/her)
This is Antonia’s second summer with Mixed Precipitation. She has choreographed for Park Square Theatre, Theatre in the Round, and many Musical Juniors in her time. Antonia also is a Teaching Artist at the Children’s Theatre Company and Graceful Monsters Educational Theatre Collective.
COSTUME DESIGN – K Marie Mielke (she/they)
K Marie is a multidisciplinary theatre artist with a BA from Augsburg University. This is her first production with Mixed Precipitation and she is extremely grateful to be a part of the team. Recent design credits include costumes: A Christmas Carol… More or Less at Yellow Tree Theatre, Explorasaurus at Stages Theatre Company, and Newsies Jr. at The Fair School Crystal. Mielke has held additional costuming, scenic, acting, teaching, and/or stage management roles at Children’s Theatre Company, The Guthrie Theater, Stages Theatre Company, Theater Mu, TigerLion Arts, Theatre Novi Most, MN Fringe Fest, Augsburg University and Macalester College and more! Website kaylamariemielke.my.canva.site
SCENIC & LIGHTING DESIGN – Lisa V. Kudas (she/her)
Lisa is delighted to be part of the design team for Tales of Hoffmann. This is her first trip with Mixed Precipitation’s Pickup Truck Opera. Lisa spent the last three years as Technical Director at North Hennepin Community College designing scenery, lighting, and properties for; Airness, Antigone, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee and The Complete Works of Shakespeare (abridged) [revised] (again), Our Town, and Hir. She has also designed scenery for 40+ productions with Minnetonka Theatre including Clue, Chicago, Merry Poppins, and Bright Star. She has enjoyed working with Normandale Community College; The Tempest, Picnic, and Big Fish. and St. Olaf College; A Midsummer Night’s Dream, A Chorus Line, and Spring Awakening. She has also enjoyed designing for the College of St. Benedict where she designed scenery and lighting for Deep Blue Sound, and lighting for their Spring Dance Concert. Lisa will be joining the theater department at St. Ben’s as Design & Tech faculty in the fall. Lisa holds an MFA in Theatre Design and Technology from the University of Minnesota.
SUPER TITLE DESIGN & CREW Jake Quatt (he/him)
Jake Quatt is a multi-disciplinary artist based in Minneapolis, currently working in illustration, printmaking, and shadow puppetry. He currently illustrates for MadHat Press, Unlikely Books, and Spuyten Duyvil. Jake was selected for the 2026 Puppet Lab Emerging Artist Residency at Open Eye Theatre. He currently puppeteers with In the Heart of the Beast Theatre, and is a producer of the Puppet Union O.H.N.O. Show – a Twin Cities puppet cabaret. Jake tours as a shadow puppeteer with past and current shows in Portland, Atlanta, Seattle, New Orleans, Los Angeles, and throughout the Twin Cities. He can be found on Instagram @jake_quatt_arts.
SWING STAGE MANAGER – Will Dierenfield