2017 2018

PLAY GUIDE

Man of La Mancha Play Guide by Katherine Monberg, with contributions from ATC Learning & Education staff.

SUPPORT FOR ATC’S LEARNING & EDUCATION PROGRAMMING HAS BEEN PROVIDED

BY:APS

Arizona Commission on the Arts

Bank of America Foundation

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Arizona

City of Glendale

Community Foundation for Southern Arizona

Cox Charities

Downtown Tucson Partnership

Enterprise Holdings Foundation

Ford Motor Company Fund

Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Foundation

JPMorgan Chase

John and Helen Murphy Foundation

National Endowment for the Arts

Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture

PICOR Charitable Foundation

Rosemont Copper

Stonewall Foundation

Target

The Boeing Company

The Donald Pitt Family Foundation

The Johnson Family Foundation, Inc.

The Lovell Foundation

The Marshall Foundation

The Maurice and Meta Gross Foundation

The Max and Victoria Dreyfus Foundation

The Stocker Foundation

The WIlliam L. and Ruth T. Pendleton Memorial Fund

Tucson Medical Center

Tucson Pima Arts Council

Wells Fargo

About ATC …………………………………………………………………………………..…

Introduction to the Play ………………………………………………………………………...

Song List ……………………………………………………………………………………..

Meet the Creators ……………………………..……………………………………………..

Meet the Characters ……………………………………………….……………………..……

From Page to Stage: Man of La Mancha ………………………………………………………

Biography of Miguel de Cervantes ………………………………………………………………

The Inspiration: Don Quixote ………………………………………………………………….

Historical Context: The Spanish Inquisition ….……………..…………………….………….……

Glossary ………………………………………………………………………………………

Discussion Questions & Activities ……………………………………………………………….

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Under new leadership, and now celebrating its 51st season, Arizona Theatre Company boasts the largest subscriber base of

any performing arts organization in Arizona, with more than 130,000 people each year attending performances at the

historic Temple of Music and Art in Tucson, and the elegant Herberger Theater Center in downtown Phoenix. Each season of

carefully selected productions reflects the rich variety of world drama – from classic to contemporary plays, from musicals

to new works – as audiences enjoy a rich emotional experience that can only be captured through the power of live theatre.

Touching lives through the power of theatre, ATC is the preeminent professional theatre in the state of Arizona. Under the

direction of Artistic Director David Ivers in partnership with Managing Director Billy Russo, ATC operates in two cities –

unlike any other League of Resident Theatres (LORT) company in the country.

To inspire, engage and entertain - one moment, one production and one audience at a time.

ABOUT ATC

ATC shares the passion of the theatre through a wide array of outreach programs, educational opportunities, access

initiatives, and community events. Through the schools and summer programs, ATC focuses on teaching Arizona’s youth

about literacy, cultural development, performing arts, specialty techniques used onstage, and opens their minds to the

creative power of dramatic literature. With approximately 450 Learning & Education activities annually, ATC reaches far

beyond the metropolitan areas of Tucson and Phoenix, enriching the theatre learning experience for current and future

audiences.

The Temple of Music and Art, the home of ATC shows in downtown

Tucson.

The Herberger Theater Center, ATC’s performance venue in downtown

Phoenix.

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Mr. Ivers and Mr. Russo continue to work on strategic planning, creative thinking, and adventurous programming all aimed

at serving the current mission:

INTRODUCTION TO THE PLAY

SONG LIST

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Book by Dale Wasserman

Lyrics by Joe Darion

Music by Mitch Leigh

A new dream for a new era. Following the record-breaking success of ATC’s Fiddler

on the Roof, we bring you a thrilling new production of the brilliant Tony Award-

winning favorite about dreaming the impossible dream. ATC brings to the stage a

Man of La Mancha that fully realizes the triumphant story and the score of

beloved songs including the iconic “Impossible Dream,” while pulsating with the

vibrant culture of Spain. This exciting new staging takes inspiration from the

spontaneous, raw theatricality of flamenco performance – focusing on the passion

and virtuosity of the performers and musicians as they tell the intertwined stories of

Don Quixote and his imprisoned creator, Miguel de Cervantes. This remarkable

production amplifies the lasting power and potent emotions of this beloved musical.

Show art by Esser Design.

Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote) .……………..

It’s All the Same…………..……………………

Dulcinea…………..…………………………..

I’m Only Thinking of Him…..…………………….

We’re Only Thinking of Him………………………

The Missive….…………………………………

I Really Like Him………….…………………….

What Does He Want of Me…..……………………

Little Bird, Little Bird……………………………

Barber’s Song………………………………….

Golden Helmet of Mambrino…. ………………….

To Each His Dulcinea (To Every Man His Dream)……

The Impossible Dream (The Quest)……………….

The Combat……………………………………

The Dubbing/Knight of the Woeful Countenance.…

The Abduction………………………………….

Don Quixote

Don Quixote

Aldonza

Sancho

Aldonza

Don Quixote & Aldonza

Don Quixote, Sancho,

& Aldonza

Padre

Company

Don Quixote & Sancho Panza

Aldonza & Company

Don Quixote & Company

Antonia, Housekeeper,

& Padre

Carrasco, Antonia, Padre,

& Housekeeper

Sancho

Sancho

Aldonza

Anselmo, Pedro, & Company

Barber

Don Quixote, Sancho, Barber,

Padre, & Company

Padre

Don Quixote

Don Quixote, Aldonza,

Sancho, & Company

Innkeeper, Don Quixote,

Aldonza, & Sancho

Andonza & Company

The Impossible Dream (The Quest) - Reprise….

Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote) - Reprise….

Aldonza……………………………………

A Little Gossip……………………………..

Dulcinea - Reprise………………………….

The Impossible Dream (The Quest) - Reprise…..

Man of La Mancha (I, Don Quixote) - Reprise…..

The Psalm………………………………….

Finale……………………………………..

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MEET THE CREATORS

Bookwriter Dale Wasserman.

Dale Wasserman (Book) wrote for theater, television and film for more than 50

years and is best known for the musical Man of La Mancha, a multiple Tony

Award winner. He also wrote the stage play One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,

based on Ken Kesey’s novel, which has won several Tony Awards. Both shows continue

to be produced nationally and internationally with an estimated 300 productions a

In January 1979, Dale met Martha Nelly Garza, who became his wife, loyal partner and

loving companion, as he quoted in his book, The Impossible Musical (2003).

More than once, Dale commented that Martha Nelly was the best thing that ever

happened to him (aside from MOLM) and that it was their 30-year partnership that

had been the greatest contribution to extending his life and his talents to age 94.

Together, they worked on numerous musicals and several new plays. On December 21,

2008, Dale Wasserman, with his loving wife at his side, passed away peacefully of

natural causes at his home in Paradise Valley, Arizona. Martha N. Wasserman is now

the sole Owner/Licensor of Dale’s intellectual properties.

Joe Darion (Lyrics) was an eclectic lyricist, earning several Top 10 successes in the early 50s, including “Changing Partners”,

music by Larry Coleman, recorded by Patti Page, and “Ricochet”, music by Coleman and Norman Gimbel, recorded by Teresa Brewer. His

first Broadway show was Shinbone Alley (1957), based upon Don Marquis’ Archie and Mehitabel stories; Darion collaborated on the

book with Mel Brooks and also wrote lyrics with composer George Kleinsinger. Among their songs were “What Do We Care?”, ‘Way Down

Blues”, “Be A Pussycat” and “What The Hell”, sung by Eartha Kitt, “The Lightning Bug Song”, and “The Moth Song”, sung by Eddie

Bracken. Although the show ran only from April 13th until May 25, 1957, it attracted critical favor. In 1971, Shinbone Alley was

adapted into animated film, directed by John D. Wilson and with Brooks and Darion’s script.

Darion’s next Broadway show also found critical favor and was, this time, a massive commercial success. Opening on November 22,

1965, Man of La Mancha ran for a total of 2,328 performances. Mitch Leigh’s music and Darion’s lyrics brought them a Tony Award

for Best Score. The show had a London run of 253 performances beginning in 1968, and was revived on Broadway in 1972, 1977, 1992,

and 2002. A film version appeared in 1972, followed by numerous touring company and regional productions followed. The songs

included “I’m Only Thinking Of Him”, “Little Bird, Little Bird”, “What Do You Want From Me?” and “I Really Like Him”. The most widely-

recognized some, which achieved a substantial life outside the show, was “The Impossible Dream”. After Man of La Mancha’s

original opening, Darion wrote the book and lyrics for Illya Darling (1967), music by Manos Hadjidakis, which starred Melina Mercouri

and was based on her popular film Never on Sunday (1960), running for a total of 320 performances. Darion also contributed English

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commentaries for the Yiddish musical play, The Megilla of Itzik Manger (1968). In addition to his pop and Broadway work, Darion

also wrote librettos for oratorios and cantatas, most often with composer Ezra Laderman, and was reportedly at work on a show entitled

Oswego when he passed away in 2001.

Mitch Leigh (Music) was born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 30, 1928,

the son of a Jewish furrier from Ukraine. He worked much of his life in

advertising, a onetime advertising-jingle writer who scored one huge Broadway

hit and snagged a Tony Award (together with lyricist Joe Darion) for the music

for the smash sensation Man of La Mancha, which opened on Broadway in

1965 and saw four “Great White Way” revivals (the last in 2002); the musical

was also staged in numerous other worldwide productions. The show featured

the signature song “The Impossible Dream,” a timeless anthem that was

recorded by such artists as Frank Sinatra and Plácido Domingo. Although Leigh

never earned lasting accolades for any of his other compositions, he returned

to Broadway as the producer of Mame (1983), starring Angela Lansbury, and

as the director of the 1985 revival of The King and I, with leading man Yul

Brynner. He passed away on March 16, 2014 in New York City.

Composer Mitch Leigh.

MEET THE CHARACTERS

Actor Jose Luis “El Nino” Uz, who

plays Jose, a Dancer, in ATC’s

production of Man of La

Mancha.

Actor Joaquin Gallegos, who plays

Tenorio, a Flamenco Guitarist, in

ATC’s production of Man of La

Mancha.

Actor Samuel Flores, who plays

Paco, a Percussionist, in ATC’s

production of Man of La

Mancha.

Actor Miguel Mejia, who plays

Anselmo in ATC’s production of

Man of La Mancha.

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Actor Philip Hernandez, who plays

Don Quixote / Miguel de Cervantes

in ATC’s production of Man of La

Mancha.

Actor Alex Gossard, who plays

Captain of the Inquisition in

ATC’s production of Man of La

Mancha.

Actor Carlos Lopez, who plays

Sancho in ATC’s production of

Man of La Mancha.

Actor John Patrick Lowrie, who

plays Governor / Innkeeper in ATC’s

production of Man of La

Mancha.

Actor Michael Sharon, who plays

The Duke / Dr. Carrasco in ATC’s

production of Man of La

Mancha.

Actor Amelia Moore, who plays

Fermina, a Dancer, in ATC’s

production of Man of La

Mancha.

Actor Michelle Dawson, who plays

Aldonza in ATC’s production of

Man of La Mancha.

Actor Louis Tucci, who plays Pedro

in ATC’s production of Man of La

Mancha.

Actor Alexander Sovronsky who

plays Juan / Barber in ATC’s

production of Man of La

Mancha.

Actor Patrick Connaghan, who

plays Quito / Padre in ATC’s

production of Man of La

Mancha.

Actor Kara Mikula, who plays Maria

/ Housekeeper in ATC’s production

of Man of La Mancha.

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Actor Ana Marcu, who plays

Antonia in ATC’s production of

Man of La Mancha.

Actor Max Anton Protzen, who plays

Guard in ATC’s production of Man

of La Mancha.

Actor Marissa Salazar, who plays

Prisoner in ATC’s production of

Man of La Mancha.

Aldonza: The serving woman and prostitute with whom Don Quixote falls in love.

Anselmo: A muleteer.

Antonia: Don Quixote’s niece and fiancée to Dr. Carrasco.

The Barber: A barber.

Captain of the Inquisition: Leader of the Spanish Inqusition.

Cervantes / Don Quixote: Actor, playwright, and would-be knight, he envisions an improved world in which knights and chivalry prevail.

Captain of the Inquisition: Leader in the Spanish Inquisition.

Duke / Carrasco: Sidekick to the Governor and Antonia’s fiancée, who think Don Quixote in insane and in need of treatment.

Fermina: A young servant woman and dancer.

Flamenco Dancers: Traditional Spanish dancers.

Governor / Innkeeper: A man of power, in the real and imagined worlds.

The Housekeeper: A housekeeper.

Jose: A dancer.

Juan: A muleteer.

Maria: The innkeeper’s wife.

Muleteers: Mule drivers and members of the ensemble.

Paco: A percussionist.

The Padre: A man of the church.

Pedro: The head muleteer, a rough and vicious man.

Quito: A muleteer.

Sancho: Devoted servant to Cervantes / Don Quixote.

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FROM PAGE TO STAGE: MAN OF LA MANCHA

Illustration of the famous windmill scene from

Cervantes’ Don Quijote by Gustave Dore.

Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’s Don Quixote (1615), one of the best-selling

books in the history of modern language, Man of La Mancha was first created

by Dale Wasserman as a teleplay for Dupont Show of the Month, a 90-

minute television anthology series that aired from 1957 to 1961. High culture and

serious drama dominated the airwaves during the 1950s, known as the “Golden

Age of Television,” that introduced the medium to the majority of American

households by the 1960s. The original broadcast version aired on November 9,

1959, as a non-musical renamed I, Don Quixote – network executives were

worried that the average viewer wouldn’t understand the original title – and

eliminated all references to the Spanish Inquisition for fear of alienating Catholic

viewers.

Years later, after the original teleplay had been unsuccessfully optioned as a

straight play for Broadway, director Albert Marre suggested that Wasserman

consider turning his original teleplay into a musical. Composer Mitch Leigh joined

the production team, followed by brief but ultimately unsuccessful partnerships

with poets W.H. Auden and Chester Kallman as co-lyricists. Instead, Joe Darion, lyricist of the unsuccessful Broadway jazz opera archy

and mehitabel (later renamed Shinbone Alley) came onboard, and the team completed a first draft of the new musical in June,

1964. Now titled Highway to Glory, the show was revolutionary in its structure as a musical framed within a play.

The production team began to seek investors for a premiere production in 1964, with little initial success. Finally, in June of 1965, the

show was awarded a production at the newly renovated Goodspeed Opera House, followed by a run at the ANTA Theatre in Greenwich

Village – technically a Broadway house, despite being located approximately 40 blocks away from the rest of the Broadway theatres.

Noted as a remarkable expression of stagecraft and imagination, Man of La Mancha has been credited as the first “concept

musical,” which champions an overarching metaphor through the vehicle of a narrative. The original production switched homes

several times, but ran for a total of 2,328 performances and won five Tony Awards, among numerous other accolades. The show has

since been revived on Broadway four times in 1972, 1977, 1992, and 2002, with Brian Stokes Mitchell starring as Cervantes / Quixote in

the most recent Broadway run.

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BIOGRAPHY OF MIGUEL DE CERVANTES

Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote.

Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra was born in the Castile region of Spain in 1547, the

son of a barber-surgeon who was very poor and severely in debt. It is speculated that

Cervantes moved often as a child, eventually enrolling in The Imperial School for boys

in Madrid. Cervantes eventually left Spain for unknown reasons, though various

scholars speculate that he may have been a student or perhaps fleeing from an

arrest warrant. Like many young Spanish men of the time, he made his way to Italy

where he studied Renaissance art, poetry, architecture, and literature.

Cervantes enlisted as a soldier in the Spanish Navy Marines by 1570, first stationed

in Naples before engaging in active service during the Battle of Lepanto against

Ottoman forces in 1571. Cervantes was wounded three times during the battle,

leading to a 6-month recuperation in a hospital in Messina, Italy, before returning to

active duty.

Cervantes enlisted as a soldier in the Spanish Navy Marines by 1570, first stationed in Naples before engaging in active service during

the Battle of Lepanto against Ottoman forces in 1571. Cervantes was wounded three times during the battle, leading to a 6-month

recuperation in a hospital in Messina, Italy, before returning to active duty.

In September, 1575, Cervantes’ ship was attacked by Ottoman pirates, leading to his captivity in Algiers until 1580. After five years in

slavery and four unsuccessful escape attempts, Cervantes was ransomed and returned to his parents in Madrid, though his experience

in the Ottoman empire would influence much of his later writing.

Cervantes then worked as a purchasing agent for the Spanish Navy and as a tax collector in Spain, and legal records indicate that he

was twice imprisoned for bankruptcy and irregular accounts. He published his first widely known work, La Galatea in 1585, and

authored several stage plays that performed in Madrid around the same time. The first part of his masterpiece, Don Quixote,

appeared in 1605 and became his first commercially successful piece of writing, which was followed by a second installment in 1615.

Sources suggest that Cervantes continued to work in banking or accounting until he received a pension from the Count of Lemos, Pedro

Fernandex de Castro y Andrade, which allowed him to dedicate himself full-time to his writing in 1610. He died of cirrhosis of the liver

induced by type II diabetes in April 1616 and was buried in the Convent of the Barefoot Trinitarians in Madrid. His bones were

misplaced during renovations at the convent in 1673, and were not definitively identified again until March 2015.

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Don Quixote going mad from reading so many books of

chivalry, as illustrated by Gustave Dore.

Don Quixote was originally published in two separate volumes, and

depicts the adventures of the enthusiastic Don Quixote de la Mancha. Author

Miguel de Cervantes described the work as a satire of the chivalric romance

genre that was popular among the aristocracy of the time, which often

detailed a marvelous, heroic quest undertaken by a knight-errant with

emphases on love and courtly manners. The genre had grown into a subject

of derision from some literary critics of the time, leading Cervantes to paint

his titular character as a madman through which to interrogate human

nature.

Don Quixote is often referenced as one of the founding novels of Western

literature, the most influential piece of literature in the Spanish literary

canon, and a prime example of the work produced during the Spanish Golden

Age. The story depicts the adventures of a nobleman that has consumed so

many chivalric romances that he loses touch with reality, and sets out to

right the world through a reinstatement of chivalry and justice, recruiting the

farmer Sancho Panza along the way to serve as his squire.

Cervantes interwove realism and metafiction to craft a pretense of fact within a

recounted story, as the protagonists encounter new characters that occasionally

lend real-world details into their stories, then magnified in Don Quixote’s

imagination to become epic, chivalrous quests sprinkled with violent interventions

and an unfortunate habit of not paying his debts. Don Quixote eventually returns to

his home village, leaving the reader with a narrative hint of an unrealized quest still

to come in the future.

INSPIRATION: DON QUIXOTE

Dore illustration of Don Quixote with Sancho

Panza.

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HISTORICAL CONTEXT: THE SPANISH INQUISITION

Isabella I of Castile, as depicted in a portrait at

The Collegiate Church of Santa Maria la Mayor.

The Spanish Inquisition, officially designated the Tribunal of the Holy Office of

the Inquisition, was established by Queen Isabella I of Castile and King

Ferdinand II of Aragon, known as the Catholic Monarchs, to maintain Catholic

orthodoxy in the newly-united Spain and all Spanish colonies and territories.

Spain’s Jewish population had flourished in previous centuries, though it was

often the target of anti-semitism and increasing persecution, particularly in the

pogroms of the late 1300s. During the 15th century, many Spanish Jews were

forcibly converted to Christianity and became known as conversos, though they

faced continued prejudice and persecution even after public renunciation of

their Jewish faith.

Many conversos also continued to practice the Jewish faith in secret, and were

perceived as a serious threat to the social order. Known as Marranos, these

secret practitioners of Judaism were denounced by the monarchy, which sought

to consolidate its own power by naming inquisitors through an official

authorization from Pope Sixtus IV in 1478. The initial actions of the Inquisition, ostensibly established to identify heretics among the

conversos, were so severe that the Pope unsuccessfully sought to intervene.

Torture and confiscation became common practice to terrorize victims

of the Inquisition, who were sentenced in ritualized public

proceedings that ended with severe punishments such as burning at

the stake. In 1492, Ferdinand and Isabella issued an edict that

offered Spanish Jews a Catholic baptism or exile from Spain, resulting

in the mass emigration of more than 160,000 Jews from their home

country.

In 1502, the Inquisition added the suppression of the Muslim faith to

its agenda, forcing religious conversion and banning the practice of

Islam in 1526. The Inquisition then targeted the Moriscos, Spanish

Muslims who had previously converted to Christianity, leading to open

warfare and the expulsion of 300,000 Moriscos by 1615. Ferdinand II, King of Castile and Leon. Portrait by

Michael Sittow.

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The next targets of the Inquisition were Christian groups that deviated from Catholic orthodoxy, leading to the elimination of the few

Spanish protestants and prominent Roman Catholics. The Inquisition continued into the 18th century, though not with the excessive

brutality of the Inquisition’s early years, until it was permanently suppressed in 1834.

GLOSSARY

Accommodations: A room, group of rooms, or building in which someone may live or stay.

Battlements: The parapet at the top of a wall, usually of a fort or castle, with regularly-spaced openings designed for shooting through the structure.

Beguile: To charm of enchant, often with deceptive intentions.

Boon: A thing that is beneficial or helpful, like a favor, request, or gift.

Cavalcade: A formal procession of people on horseback, walking, or riding in vehicles.

Chatelaine: A woman in charge of a large house.

Contingency: A provision for an unforeseen event or circumstance.

Crown: A British coin with a face value of five shillings or 25 pence, now only minted for commemorative purposes.

Cutpurse: A pickpocket or thief.

El Toboso: A town and municipality in the province of Toledo in central Spain.

Gallant: Brave, heroic, or chivalrous.

Gossamer: A fine, filmy substance consisting of cobwebs spun by small spiders, often used to refer to something very light, thin, and delicate.

Heresy: Belief or opinion contrary to orthodox religious doctrine.

Highwayman: A man, typically on horseback, who held up travelers with the threat of violence in order to rob them.

Knave: A dishonest or unscrupulous man.

Knight-errant: A medieval knight wandering in search of chivalrous adventures.

Lien: The right to keep possession of property belonging to another person until a debt owed by that person is repaid or otherwise discharged.

Drawing of battlements on a tower, as

depicted by Pearson Scott Foresman.

Depiction of the British coin known as a

crown, though this design was not minted

until the early 1700s.

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Livelihood: A means of making a living, or securing the necessities of life.

Misbegotten: Badly conceived, designed, or planned.

Muleteer: A person who drives mules.

Objectionable: Arousing distaste or opposition; unpleasant or offensive.

Remedy: A medicine or treatment for something undesireable, like a disease or injury.

Routed: Defeated or caused to retreat in disorder.

Sages: Profoundly wise persons, especially those who appear in ancient history or legends.

Scullion: A servant assigned the most menial kitchen tasks.

Sovereign: A supreme ruler, especially a monarch.

Squire: A young nobleman acting as an attendant to a knight, while training to become a knight himself.

Standard: A military or ceremonial flag carried on a pole or hoisted on a rope.

Swine: A pig.

The Inquisition: An inquisition initiated in 15th century Spain to investigate and punish converted Jews and Muslims thought to be insincere.

Vigil: A period of keeping awake during the time usually spent asleep, especially to keep watch or pray.

Bronze statues of Don Quixote and Sancho

Panza erected in the Plaza de Espana in

Madrid.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS & ACTIVITIES

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Discussion Questions

1. Read some excerpts from Cervantes' Don Quixote. How does the musical compare and contrast with

the novel?

2. The stories and characters of Don Quixote explore the concept of idealism vs. realism. Research

these practices and pinpoint moments in the play that are idealistic and those that are realistic. Which

moments did you enjoy the most? Why?

3. The main character dreams of being a knight and is often seen as intelligent but also mad or crazy. He

gets lost in a world and identity he creates for himself. Do we do this in our modern age? Discuss and

give examples of how we might create different identities and worlds for ourselves with technology and

social media. How might we use these platforms to influence those around us in a positive way? Much

like Don Quixote does in the play.

4. Which character(s) did you connect with the most and why?

5. How do the characters change throughout the play? Both in their character arc and in their literal

transformation on stage. What production elements indicate these transitions into new roles? Which

transition was your favorite and why?

6. Often described as "the infinite novel", Cervantes' standard work creates a play within a play. Can you

think of other authors who do this? Research this element/device, not only found in various novels but

film, television and theatre as well. Discuss how the setup and structure varies from medium to medium.

Activities

1. Read all or excerpts from Don Quixote and have students create their own performances or short

films based on the novel. Discuss how the musical Man of the La Mancha represents the story in a

different way than the novel, and how your students' adaptations compare and contrast with both of

these narratives.

2. The character of Don Quixote is often described as an idealist because he refuses to see the world as it

is, but instead he sees the world as he believes it should be. Ask your students to discuss solutions to a

societal issues such as homelessness, violence, hunger, etc. Have half of the class mention idealistic

solutions to the problem and the other half come up with realistic solutions. Have each half of the class

present their proposed ideas and then work together to create a solution that is both realistic (could be

accomplished) but also idealistic (unconventional and something that hasn't been tried before).

3. ATC's production of Man of La Mancha draws from the rich cultural tradition of Flamenco dance and

uses this dance style as a device for storytelling. Have students create their own performances using only

dance and movement as a way to tell a story. The students can draw from any style of dance they find

inspiring for their stories.

4. Like Man of La Mancha, many other great plays and musicals have been written based on novels.

For other examples students could look at A Cursed Child (based on the Harry Potter series), War

Horse, The House on Mango Street, Mary Poppins, The Secret Garden, and Oliver!. Have your

students write their own short play based on their favorite book. Perform these for the class as a staged

reading.

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