EL QUIJOTE
An original bilingual adaptation of a play written by Santiago García based on the novel by Miguel de Cervantes
directed by Olga Sanchez

To see the world through the eyes of Don Quijote is to embrace life as the fullest adventure. From windmills to wenches, this knight-errant, in the company of his humble squire Sancho Panza, continues to roam the world and spark our imagination as he has for some four hundred years. And this lusty adaptation of Cervantes’ classic — filled with a muscular theatricality — proves the power of imagination to overcome the vagaries of life.

As exciting as it is eloquent, this production complements classes of Spanish and English languages, Peninsular literature, history and culture; translation, and theatre, as well as the psychology of imagination and creation.

DIALOGUES WITH DON QUIJOTE: A METHOD TO HIS MADNESS?
A series of three forum discussions sponsored by Oregon Humanities

Miracle Theatre Group, with support from Oregon Humanities, presents a series of three Quijote-inspired conversations with humanities scholars, artists and community leaders to investigate ways in which the characters of the Cervantes classic novel still resonate today, including leading second lives in virtual words; the qualities required of good leaders; and the influence of Don Quijote on contemporary culture. The conversations, which are free and open to the public, begin at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesdays, May 12, 19 and 26 at the Milagro Theatre (525 SE Stark St., Portland). Due to limited seating, reservations are suggested by calling Alejandra at 503-236-7253, ext. 114 or alejandra@milagro.org.

SECOND LIFE, AVATARS AND POPULAR MEDIA, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 12, 2010
In this first conversation, panelists and participants will discuss the creation of online personas, or avatars, to lead alternative lives in virtual worlds, such as the popular online environment Second Life. Don Quijote accomplishes a similar feat through his stubborn insistence on following his own personal vision of reality based on the 16th-century novelas of knighthood. He effectively creates his own reality by “becoming” a knight errant and living by the chivalric code, unfazed by the lack of understanding from the rest of the world; the creation of an avatar in Second Life provides a clear parallel. The conversation will address questions such as: Can the creation of an alternate identity in the digital world emerge as an equally inspiring journey? Would a whole-hearted adoption of an alter-ego, such as in El Quijote, be considered dangerous to one’s “first life” or rather, provide the opportunity to live “the impossible dream?” Does the continuation of a second life in the form of an avatar present too much of a danger of addiction? We are also considering exploring the topic from the perspective of an actor by asking, How does an actor interact with their "second life?"

Panelists scheduled to appear include:

• Dr. Jerald Block, OHSU psychiatry researcher specializing in the psychological implications of the Internet, specifically Internet addiction
• Olga Sanchez, Miracle MainStage Artistic Director, who will focus on the creation of an acting role and the experience for an actor
• John Armour, the creator of a Don Quijote avatar and Second Life enthusiast
• Professor Craig Epplin from Reed College with a recent doctorate focusing on New Media
• Professor Marcia Klots from Portland State University’s Department of Public Humanities

GOVERNANCE AND GOOD LEADERS, 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Throughout their adventures Don Quijote promises Sancho Panza an island of his own as reward for his service. When they meet the Duke and Duchess, literary fans of their travels, Sancho is granted the governorship of an Island. An uneducated peasant, his style of governance is humorous and based on folk wisdom, good sense and mixed aphorisms. His simple adherence to what he considers to be right and merciful results in a just and steady governorship. With this scenario in mind we will host an open forum on governance and the qualities required for a modern figure to wield power and implement change. The discussion will be launched by a short scene from the play depicting Sancho as governor of the island, and then focus on political figures from the Portland arena. How do people receive nominations, win elections and appointments? What provokes leaders to run for public office? What barriers stand between private citizenship and public service? What barriers exist for Latinos pursuing public office? How can the Latino population be encouraged to become involved?

Panelists scheduled to appear include:
Former Mayor of Portland Tom Potter
Former Multnomah County Commissioner Serena Cruz
Former Wilsonville City Council Member Celia Nuñez
Moderator: Emily Harris of Oregon Public Broadcasting Think Out Loud

CONTEMPORARY RELEVANCE: UNIVERSALITY, 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, May 26, 2010
The final discussion will address the influence of Don Quijote on contemporary culture, featuring a preview of clips from the developing documentary of Professor Kate Regan of the University of Portland that explores the modern influence of the 400 year-old novel by Cervantes. Topics will include the literary influence Cervantes' work has wielded upon our modern conception of a hero and how Don Quijote's code of chivalry bridges the world of knights errant to today’s concerns with social justice and equality. The conversation will also examine the difficulties of adaptation. How does an artist approach a classic? What liberties must be taken in order to achieve a personal work of art while paying a fitting homage to an old work?

Panelists invited to appear include:
Professor Kate Regan of University of Portland
Professor Elizabeth Drumm of Reed College
Professor Guy Wood of Oregon State Universit

True to its origins
El Quijote is impressive while staying true to the novel
By Natalie McClintock
Daily Vanguard, 5-10-2010

Most people, even without reading the novel, know the story of the famous knight Don Quixote and his sidekick, Sancho Panza. Miguel de Cervantes’ 17th century novel has been beloved of readers for generations in spite of its incredible length, and it has been inspiration to artists of the visual and written spectrum since its publication. Currently, the story has been set for the stage: Miracle Theatre Group’s stage, as a matter of fact, right here in Portland.

El Quijote was originally written by a Columbian man named Santiago Garcia, obviously inspired by Cervantes’ novel of a similar title—the show being put on by Miracle Theatre Group is a modern adaptation of said script. It cuts out many of the adventures of the original story, but stays true to the heart and soul of the tale.

Gilberto Martin del Campo is wonderful as Quijote. He is both awkward and dignified, and somehow it seems as though Don Quixote himself walked out of his novel and is pacing the stage. He plays his character’s insanity to perfection, and it is hard not to see his vision as your own, even though it is so obviously self-deception.

Not only is del Campo fantastic in his role, but he delivers the play’s bilingual lines so beautifully that it could have been written into a song. As the antithesis to his master’s craziness, Danny Bruno gives an excellent performance of Sancho Panza. Even the looks of the two actors fit the canon descriptions of Quixote and Panza—the show is like watching the abridged version of the book.

In one memorable scene, Quijote sets out in a hodge-podge suit of armor (created by costumer Sarah Gahagan, who was fabulously creative in this and other scenes) on an adventure for his love interest, the beautiful Dulcinea, who is actually a farm girl that he has renamed and revamped into a princess worthy of a knight-errant’s quest. He is knighted by an innkeeper and sent on his way, and thus the story begins.

Director Olga Sanchez chose her team and actors flawlessly. The costumes were whimsical and in character and the acting spectacular. Even the sets were designed incredibly well. Actors were popping up out of doors that were previously unseen throughout the night. Mark Haack’s set was like a big, surprising game of hide-and-go-seek.

The production manages to take the viewer completely out of reality, much like the title character, for the whole duration. Even though many of the lines peppered through the script include Spanish, even the exclusively English-speaking audience can at least get the gist of what is being said, and the natural way the actors switch between languages makes the bilingual portion enrich the show rather than leave the audience confused.

The effort put into this production ensures that the audience, whether or not they were fans of the original story when they walked in the door, will leave happier for the experience. El Quijote is a must-see production for both fans of theater and fans of the novel.

Theater review: Gilberto del Campo's 'El Quijote' balances dignity with foolishness
By Carol Wells, Special to The Oregonian
May 08, 2010

"El Quijote" continues through May 29 at Milagro Theatre.Gilberto Martín del Campo is currently doing some stellar work at Milagro Theatre, playing that thin stick of a crazy Spanish gentleman who fancies himself a knight and wanders the country on his old horse Rocinante, looking to perform honorable deeds. “El Quijote” is a modern adaptation of a play by Colombian writer Santiago García that is based on the story of Don Quixote, written in the 17th century by Miguel de Cervantes.

The play picks and chooses and presents just a handful of the adventures recounted by Cervantes, but it adheres to the basics of story, including Quijote’s devotion to his ideal lady Dulcinea and his recruiting of a farmer named Sancho Panza to be his squire on the promise that should their adventures lead to the conquest of an island, Sancho would rule as its king.

Using the heroes of the books he avidly reads as models, Quijote turns up ready for adventure wearing (in some whimsical work by costumer Sarah Gahagan) a suit of armor that appears to be hammered out of old cans, including a hat made from a basin and a silly codpiece fashioned from shining tin. His mission is to “go to help the poor, or a gentleman, or a lady, or whoever needs it.” He is at once a figure of great dignity and great foolishness.

It requires some rather good acting to pull this character off effectively, and del Campo is terrific in the role. Using posture and body movement, he presents the lanky knight as if he were a character newly arrived in our world from the pages of a storybook who is just getting accustomed to the way we do things around here and is still a little awkward about it.

Director Olga Sanchez alternates the pacing, keeping it tight during the scenes that feature only Quijote and Sancho, and letting up when the ensemble (Rebecca Martínez, Kevin-Michael Moore, Emily Gleason and Will Sonera Gregg, who play the variety of characters that populate the adventures of Quijote and Sancho), provides scenes of mayhem. As the squire, Danny Bruno offers another seamless performance, and his character balances his master’s point for point: one is tall, the other short; one is comic, the other tragic; one opportunistic, the other idealistic.

The dialogue is mostly English, but it includes a line here and there of the Spanish that was used in Cervantes’ time. Each of the actors switches back and forth with ease, but it is primarily the Quijote character, with the actor’s attention to voice modulation, who delivers the full musical quality of each line. Here we are able to gain the full flavor of the language and catch a sense of what it must have been like to hear this story at the time it was written.

Mark Haack’s clever set includes many surprises, at times making the viewer feel the wonder of a child at a birthday party. And being able to feel that wonder gets us to the core of the play. To be taken out of ourselves and to feel moved and amazed by a work of theater (which is, after all, make believe), makes us childlike, and perhaps, a bit absurd. A central question of El Quijote is what would become of our humanity if we allowed the fear of the absurdity of the human condition to keep us from fulfilling what we know to be our destiny.

May 7-29, 2010

CAST
Gilbert Martín del Campo … El Quijote
Danny Bruno … Sancho Panza
Hadley Boyd … Housekeeper
Emily Gleason … Niece
Will Sonera Gregg … Priest
Rebecca Martínez … Teresa
Kevin-Michael Moore … Barber
                       
PRODUCTION TEAM
Olga Sanchez … Director
Mark Haack … Set Designer
Peter West … Lighting Designer
Rodolfo Ortega … Composer/Sound Designer
Drew Foster … Prop Master
Sarah Gahagan … Costume Designer
Alyssa  Essman … Stage Manager
Melissa Weckhorst … Production Assistant, Costume Assistant
Gavin Hales … Sound Board Operator
Leticia Duran...Stagehand
Rebecca Lewis … Carpenter
Katelan Braymer...Lighting Assistant
Christina Lydy Mills … Dramaturge
Sylvia Malan & Sarah Hinds...House Managers

Miracle MainStage presents both adult and family oriented artistic productions in English, commissioned from the ranks of the company's resident playwrights, as well as plays by accomplished and emerging Hispanic writers from the USA and abroad. The productions are performed in the El Centro Milagro's intimate theatre in inner southeast Portland . Performances have ranged most recently from the critically acclaimed 2004 production of Lorca in a Green Dress - a play that explores the power of poetry to challenge oppression by Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Nilo Cruz -to Guillermo Reyes' outrageous comedy Deporting the Divas, winner of three 1999 Drammy Critic's Awards.