Arts Activities Support

26% of our audience experiences opera for the first time via the Operetta. 60% reported this was their first time seeing the Operetta. Most of our audience, 56% reported hearing about the show from friends of family members. "Friend saw a show in 2012 and he's been raving ever since. In town for the weekend and had to catch it!" Our audience has been great advocates for the production. Donald Giovanni in Cornlandia was a big success with audiences in the metro area. We received big audiences at performances at the JD Rivers' Childrens Garden, the Skidmore Park Community Garden, the Alexis Bailly Vineyard (two performances), the Bronx Park Community Garden, Dodge Nature Center's Farm Education Center and Frogtown Farm. We received a lot of coverage in local press, praising the musical, theatrical and edible elements of the production. Reviewer Arthur Dorman of Talkin' Broadway praised the production: "The Picnic Operetta does not pretend to be serious opera, or even operetta, but a delightful send-up of the form, which can be enjoyed by opera buffs and those who don't care for opera, or perhaps have never seen an opera at all. Don Giovanni in Cornlandia is ninety minutes spent in natural surroundings, laughing and having our wits sharpened a bit, enjoying some genuinely lovely Mozart compositions along with some soul tunes, some rock, and some country—and being pampered by the tastes and scents of seasonal foods. The audience includes young and old, and there seems to be something in the Picnic Operetta for everyone to enjoy." The satirical and political elements of the show landed well on our audiences as we responded to current events, including the Iowa caucuses and the presidential campaign. Members of the cast relished performing in a broad and physical style and relating to an audience in an intimate outdoor setting. "'m extremely proud of the show we put forth. It was like lightning in a bottle given how intense this election season has been. The opportunity to meet the angry zeitgeist of this season with a show that brings laughter to anyone was incredible and so fulfilling. The project itself of the picnic operetta encourages playfulness and imagination as a performer that I really loved learning to embrace. I think it all went quite smoothly." Artistically, a few small holes remained unfilled during production, involving props and scenic painting. Our design did not fully take into account sufficient translations of the Italian text in the production. Many props were not created with materials durable enough to handle the outdoor conditions, including rain. Future planning with designers will take these needs into account. Set pieces and equipment used for touring were unreliable and involved a complicated set-up that took an inordinate amount of time. This included our flatbed trailer, which was used as a shelter for the band. This piece of equipment broke several times, welding needed repair and the tires on the trailer blew. This created some burn out for members of the production crew. 2016 was our 8th year presenting the Picnic Operetta. Most of the communities where we perform are very familiar with our work. We have a loyal following and dedicated outreach via our marketing staff and our host partners in each community. Our company values inclusivity and accessibility. Our reservation system is elective, with audiences using an on-line system and making voluntary contributions on-line. Audiences have offered positive feedback regarding their experience regarding this system. We do not turn anyone away at our production. However, we have noted from our post-performance evaluations, that our audience is consistently very white, middle aged and upper middle class. Nearly 500 audience members filled out our post performance survey. 48% of our audience stated that they were between 46 and 65 years old. 94% said they were white. 27% reported household incomes greater than $100,000. For 2017 we wanted to broaden our support and reach more young people. We did meet our goals of openness and and accessibility in the communities where we perform. Traditionally we get a mixed audience of people attending our show from within the community where we perform and people who travel to see our show at a specific venue. 30% addend the performance within their community. 26% reported that this was their first time seeing live opera. Our planning team has concluded that we need to do more specific outreach to group serving youth within the communities where we perform. In 2017 we are developing partnerships with Urban Roots on the East Side of St. Paul and Youth Farm in South Minneapolis, to buy vegetables and work with youth to develop menu items for 2017. We are also planning a performance in North Minneapolis for Project Success students and families. For 2017 we are adding a performance at a community garden in Powderhorn Park. Audience members responded positively to the accessible spirit of our performance. "Favorite food was the cucumber! Love the energy of the performers, music, and the show's goal of more diverse and accessible opera." "Loved your cast! It is wonderful to be in a community that supports art and the outdoors. Thank you!!" "An utterly unique re-invention of opera, and I bet, extremely true to the roots of fine-art opera! So glad my 11- year old daughter experienced this!!"