Performance @ Franconia
The 50-acres of Franconia Sculpture Park are the ideal setting for site-specific performances. Ranging from experimental performance art to Shakespeare to participatory theatre, Franconia is committed to supporting the commissions of new work by performing artists from the Twin Cities and across the globe.
Queer Puppet Clash, photo by Uche Iroegbu
Midsummer Pride Party – Queer Puppet Clash
Saturday, June 22, 5pm-10pm | $10 suggested donation
Celebrate pride and the longest day of the year at Franconia Sculpture Park’s Midsummer Pride Party featuring a puppet show you’ll never forget! The Queer Puppet Clash dares to ask the question, “What if pro wrestling was even gayer and also featured puppets and magic?” Full of twists, turns, fists, and yearns, the Queer Puppet Clash celebrates all the wacky chaos and heartbreak of a fictionalized organization of puppet wrestlers. Come see the pinnacle of puppet punching in the show everyone’s been waiting for: Midsummer Madness: Melee of Mirth!
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through the Arts and Cultural Heritage Legacy Amendment, through grant funding from the East Central Regional Arts Council and the Minnesota State Arts Board.
Click here for more information about Midsummer Pride Party!
Twelfth Night – Classical Actors Ensemble
Thursday, June 27, 7pm | $5 suggested parking
Classical Actors Ensemble (CAE) announces a 10th season of Shakespeare in Our Parks with a new production of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, or What You Will. Directed by Producing Artistic Director Joseph Papke, this comedy will be performed at Franconia Sculpture Park on Thursday, June 27th at 7pm.
Written circa 1601, Twelfth Night is an ensemble romantic comedy and one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays. The plot centers on shipwrecked twins who separately wash ashore in a foreign land, each thinking the other dead, and soon become entangled in an unrequited love triangle of noble bon vivants. CAE last staged Twelfth Night in original Elizabethan pronunciation in 2014, in repertory with The Duchess of Malfi at the former Theatre Garage in Minneapolis.
CAE honors Shakespeare’s work by making high-quality entertainment available for all at no charge through its annual Shakespeare in Our Parks program. CAE encourages audiences to bring a picnic to enjoy this free outdoor entertainment for the entire family. In keeping with CAE’s aesthetic, this production will include live, modern music performed by the cast.
This activity is funded through a grant from the East Central Regional Arts Council through an appropriation from the Minnesota Legislature with money from the State’s general fund.
Faust – Mixed Precipitation
Sunday, August 18, 3pm | $5-25 suggested parking
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. Join us at Franconia Sculpture Park on Sunday, August 18 at 3pm to enjoy this magical performance in the park!
This is a free all-ages show, with a suggested $5-25 donation requested upon arrival.
ABOUT THE SHOW
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.