Out of the Box Opera Presents Puccini's Suor Angelica at the Basilica June 26-29

Article by Becky Fillinger, Photos provided

A discussion with Noah Eisenberg, President, Out of the Box Opera

Mark your calendar for June 26-29 – that's when Out of the Box Opera (OOTB) will produce Suor Angelica at the Basilica of Saint Mary! Permission was granted by The Vatican for the Puccini opera to be produced in the Basilica – the first time ever for an opera to be staged in a Basilica. We talked to Noah Eisenberg, President of OOTB, about the upcoming production, the history of the opera company and ways for you to support their innovative artistic work.

Q:  For readers unfamiliar of Out of the Box Opera, please tell us your history.

A:  Out of the Box began with a 2016 conversation among three opera fans about how to “save” opera - how to grow the audiences, which had been shrinking for years. The three fans were me, (I’m a board member of Mill City Summer Opera), David Lefkowich, the artistic director of MCSO and Jim Berman, a close friend of mine. Our first idea was to take opera out of traditional opera houses - places many people thought of as stuffy and dull. The second idea was to make opera itself less stuffy, more enjoyable and experiential. We saw no one else doing this, so we decided to do it ourselves and created Out of the Box Opera.

During the first years (pre- pandemic), we created Diva Cage Match, a singing competition in a boxing rink and worked with J.D. Steele on an opera/gospel fusion event at the Weisman Art Museum. We turned an abbreviated version of a Handel opera into an interactive tour of the historic Pillsbury A Mill, from the water tunnels in the basement to the roof deck on top. After a pandemic pause, we returned in 2022 with another “immersive” experience; a selection of scenes from La Traviata, staged at various locations, the lobby, a guest suite and parking lot, of the Minneapolis Canopy Hotel.

Noah with pet Henri

Q:  I hear exciting news - you're producing Suor Angelica at the Basilica of Saint Mary! Please tell us more. 

A:  I thought the Basilica would be a great setting for an OOTB show. David came up with the opera and the concept for the immersive production. Johan VanParys, director of Liturgy at the Basilica, liked the idea and after getting the necessary approvals on his side (Minneapolis, St. Paul, Boston and finally Rome) we agreed to move forward with the project.

It is a co-production, with the Basilica providing the space and logistics and OOTB providing the show.

While OOTB is unorthodox in its production, it is very serious about the music. Suor Angelica has a female cast and will feature mainly local singers. These singers have strong backgrounds performing with other opera companies locally and nationally. This OOTB production has the largest orchestral accompaniment of any of its shows to date.

Staging Suor Angelica at the Basilica of Saint Mary is a perfect fit for OOTB. It is a place where people have never heard opera before. It is a highly dramatic setting and a highly dramatic story. It has a variety of spaces for small audience groups to move around and through. Suor Angelica has another OOTB trademark - it is short. One hour. The themes are serious and have contemporary resonance - single motherhood, suicide and redemption.

Q:  How do you secure funding for your productions, especially given your non-traditional approach to opera?

A:  Approximately 50% of funding for Suor Angelica comes from donations. The other half comes from ticket sales. 

Q:  How may we purchase tickets for this event? Many readers will want to give a donation – how may we give to OOBO?

A:  ​Tickets are sold on our website: outoftheboxopera.org. Of course, we welcome your donations to our opera company at the same website! Tell your friends – we hope to have sold out shows of Suor Angelica.  Sign up for our newsletter too.