A crowd gathered outside Hovland Town Hall for the Friday evening performance. All photos by Haley Brickner

By Haley Brickner - Boreal Community Media - August 18, 2025

Mixed Precipitation brought its traveling Pickup Truck Opera back to Cook County this past weekend, drawing a crowd outside the Hovland Town Hall on Friday for Volume Five: The Return of King Idomeneo. The event, presented by the North Shore Music Association with support from the Opp-Hvidston Foundation, was a benefit for the Hovland Volunteer Fire Department. A second performance took place at Sweetheart Bluff in Grand Marais on Saturday. 

The St. Paul–based company is known for bringing music and theater to communities around the state in the bed of a pickup truck. This summer marks its 17th outdoor opera tour. Each year, the group blends a classical work with unexpected musical styles, and this year’s production pairs Mozart’s Idomeneo with the sound of 1950s doo-wop and 1960s girl-group pop. The story follows General Idomeneo returning from the Trojan War, only to find that a promise to the sea god Neptune threatens his son’s life.

Friday’s cast included Roland Hawkins and Phil Takemura Sears sharing the role of Idomeneo, Jill Morgan and Alexis Reed as Electra, Joni Griffith as Idamante, and Kaoru Shoji as Ilia. The ensemble featured Galina Đorđević, Marc Haroo, Debi Kilde, Jason Kornelis, Nick Miller, Anna Pladsen, Trevor Woggen, and Alex Yang. Paul Coate directed the production, with choreography by Antonia Perez and music direction by Gary Ruschman. Sets were designed by Abby Palen, costumes by Rhiannon Fiskradatz of Rabbit Food Puppetry, and stage management by Ches Cipriano.

The performance lasted about 90 minutes and was offered on a pay-what-you-can basis, with suggested donations of $5 to $45. The relaxed outdoor setting encouraged audience members to bring their own lawn chairs, blankets, and bug spray.

The production not only showcased Mixed Precipitation’s playful and passionate approach to opera but also raised funds for a local cause, highlighting how the arts can support and strengthen rural communities.

 The iconic blue pickup truck, which received a new transmission this year.

 The cast was enthusiastic and highly entertaining.

 The cast was enthusiastic and highly entertaining.

 Live music accompanied the performance, with musicians sometimes setting down their instruments and jumping in to act or sing.

  The cast was enthusiastic and highly entertaining.