Colorized covers are for web display only. Most covers are printed in black and white.

© The Dramatic Publishing Company

Colorized covers are for web display only. Most covers are printed in black and white.

Don Quixote • Cervantes/Ludlum/Quicksall

Cast: 7m., 3w. (May be expanded to approximately 50 actors, with
many opportunities for gender flexibility.) Don Quixote and
Sancho Panza ride again! Here they are guided by their creator,
Miguel de Cervantes, in person. In this “buddies on the road” saga,
the intrepid Don Quixote and his loyal squire, Sancho Panza, are
spurred on by Cervantes to battle giants—or are they windmills?
Rescue princesses—or are they swineherds? Attack armies—or
are they sheep? Their world, the vital, dangerous La Mancha
region of 17th-century Spain, is peopled with fools and shysters,
nobles and priests, merchants and actors. Idealistic Don Quixote
and pragmatic Sancho Panza learn to deal with the unexpected
and the inexplicable as they travel and quarrel through the arid
plains of La Mancha. Their friendship deepens as their adventures
grow more challenging and complex. This script brings the whole
story to life with the excitement, the bawdy humor and the deeply
moving humanity of the masterpiece intact. Act One, based on

•
Cervantes’ 1605 novel, can be performed as a complete play (one
hour). Act Two, based on Cervantes’ 1615 sequel, follows the
subsequent adventures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza as

Dramatic Publishing
renowned literary celebrities; it includes the death of Don Quixote.
Spanish phrases and words are used throughout the script and are
always rendered into English, giving an added appeal to bi-lingual
audiences. Unit set. Approximate running time: 2 hours.
Front and back cover artwork: Fay Jones.
13 ISBN: 978-1-58342-374-5
10 ISBN: 1-58342-374-5 Code: D94

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Printed on Recycled Paper
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© The Dramatic Publishing Company
 DON QUIXOTE
A Play in Two Acts

Adapted by
ANNE LUDLUM and DAVID QUICKSALL

From the novels of

MIGUEL DE CERVANTES

Dramatic Publishing
Woodstock, Illinois • England • Australia • New Zealand

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

 *** NOTICE ***
The amateur and stock acting rights to this work are controlled exclu-
sively by THE DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY without whose
permission in writing no performance of it may be given. Royalty must
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For performance of any songs, music and recordings mentioned in this

play which are in copyright, the permission of the copyright owners
must be obtained or other songs and recordings in the public domain
substituted.

©MMVI by
ANNE LUDLUM and DAVID QUICKSALL
Based on the novels by MIGUEL DE CERVANTES
Printed in the United States of America
All Rights Reserved
(DON QUIXOTE)

ISBN: 1-58342-374-5

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

 IMPORTANT BILLING AND CREDIT REQUIREMENTS

All producers of the Play must give credit to the Authors of the Play in
all programs distributed in connection with performances of the Play and
in all instances in which the title of the Play appears for purposes of ad -
vertising, publicizing or otherwise exploiting the Play and/or a produc-
tion. The name of the Authors must also appear on a separate line, on
which no other name appears, immediately following the title, and must
appear in size of type not less than fifty percent the size of the title type.
Biographical information on the Authors, if included in the playbook,
may be used in all programs. In all programs this notice must appear:

“Produced by special arrangement with

DRAMATIC PUBLISHING COMPANY of Woodstock, Illinois”

****
All producers of the Play must include the following acknowledgment on
the title page of all programs distributed in connection with performances
of the Play and on all advertising and promotional materials:

“First commissioned, produced and developed in the ‘Book-It style’

by Book-It Repertory Theatre, founded in 1990 in
Seattle, Washington (www.Book-It.org).”

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

 DON QUIXOTE was first presented in celebration of
the 400th anniversary of the publication of Miguel de Cer-
vantes’ Don Quixote by Book-It Repertory Theatre at Cen-
ter House Theatre in Seattle, Washington, September 2005.

CAST (in order of appearance)

Wesley Rice* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cervantes

Gene Freedman* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Don Quixote
Marissa Price. . . . . Antonia, Aldonza, Basque Lady, Actor,
Duchess
Rose Cano. . . . . Housekeeper, Landlady, Actor, Emerencia
Troy Fischnaller . . . . . . . . . . . . Carrasco, Innkeeper, Pedro
John Bianchi Padre Pérez, Barber, Monseñor Gomez
Nick O’Donnell. . . . . . . Nicolás Basque Man, Actor, Duke
Walter James Baker* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sancho Panza
John Farrage . . . . . . . . . . . . Landlord, Actor, Major-Domo
Rachel Glass* . . . . . Dorotea, Maritornes, Tomé, Altisidora

Plus a rogue’s gallery of monks, shepherds, wenches and

assorted inhabitants of La Mancha

ARTISTIC AND PRODUCTION STAFF

David Quicksall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Director

Fay Jones. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Scenic Designer
Jessica Trundy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Lighting Designer
K.D. Schill . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Costume Designer
Nathan Wade . . . . . . . . . . . . Composer & Sound Designer

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

Jen Matthews* . . . . . . . . . . . . . Production Stage Manager
Lenore Bensinger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Dramaturg

Jodi Sauerbier. . Properties Master/Assistant Stage Manager

Larry Rodriguez . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Technical Director
Hans Altwies. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fight Choreographer
Tristan Dalley. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Drafting/Scenic Assistant
Seattle Scenic Studios . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Set Construction
Whitman Taylor . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Sound Operator
Robert J. Aguilar . . . . . . Master Electrician & Light Board
Operator

* Member of Actor’s Equity Association, the Union of Pro-

fessional Actors and Stage Managers in the U.S.

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

 LIST OF EPISODES

ACT ONE

Introduction.
At the house of Don Quixote/Alonso Quixada.

1. Don Quixote’s first Sally from his Habitation.

At the First Inn—“knighting” of Don Quixote.

2. Of the profound Scrutiny of our Gentleman’s Library.

In Quixote’s house—burning of books/preparations for
second sally.

3. A heretofore totally Unimagined Adventure of the

Valiant Don Quixote.
On the road—windmills/“giants.”

4. Wherein the Valiant Man from La Mancha encounters

a Daring Basque—and sundry other Travelers.
On the road—battle against Basques, etc.

5. Of an Exalted Adventure.
On the road—“Helmet of Mambrino.”

6. Of what happens to our Knight at a Second Inn.

At the Second Inn—Maritornes mix-up/brawl/
blanketing of Sancho.

7. In which is related a most Rare Adventure.

On the road—sheep/“armies.”

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

8. Of what Don Quixote undertakes in the Sierra Morena,
being one of the most Mysterious Adventures ever.
In the mountains—Quixote’s “madness”/letter
to Dulcinea.

9. Which treats of New and Delightful Adventures that

befall Sancho Panza, Padre Pérez, and Nicolás in the
Sierra Morena.
In the mountains—Sancho’s meeting with Padre Pérez
and Nicolás/appearance of Dorotea.

10. Of the beautiful Damsel’s Discretion and other

Entertaining Particulars.
In the mountains—Dorotea’s scheme.

11. What befalls Don Quixote and his Company at the Inn.
At the Second Inn (again)—Quixote’s fight with
“giant”/Quixote’s return home.

ACT TWO

12. At the house of Don Quixote/Alonso Quixada—next

sally of Quixote and Sancho.

13. Outside El Toboso—meeting with three wenches.

14. On the road—encounter with band of actors.

15. In a grove at night—meeting with “Knight of the

Mirrors” and “squire.”

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

16. On the road—invitation of Duchess to “castle.”

17. In the “castle” of Duke and Duchess—banquet/

rewarding of Sancho’s governorship.

18. In the “castle” of Duke and Duchess—appearance of

“Merlin.”

19. In the “castle” of Duke and Duchess—Altisidora’s

serenade.

20. In the “castle” of Duke and Duchess/On the “Island of

Barataria”—Sancho’s governorship.

21. In the country—Quixote’s nightmare.

22. In Barcelona—defeat of Quixote by “Knight of the

White Moon.”

23. In the house of Don Quixote/Alonso Quixada—the

death of Quixote/Quixada.

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

 DON QUIXOTE
A Play in Two Acts
For 7m., 3w. (May be expanded to approximately 50 ac-
tors, with many opportunities for gender flexibility.)

CHARACTERS (in order of appearance)

1. Miguel de Cervantes
2. Don Quixote/Alonso Quixada
3. Aldonza, a pig herder
4. Antonia, the Niece
5. Housekeeper
6. Innkeeper
7. Padre Pérez, the Curate
8. Nicolás, the Barber
9. Sancho Panza
10. Basque Man
11. Basque Lady
12. Basque Porter #1
13. Basque Porter #2
14. Benedictine Monk #1
15. Benedictine Monk #2 (played by Cervantes)
16. Monk’s Servant #1
17. Monk’s Servant #2
18. Itinerant Barber
19. Landlady
20. Landlady’s Daughter
21. Landlord
22. Maritornes
23. Pedro Martínez, a Mule Driver
24. Tailor from Sevilla
9

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

25. Wool Carder
26. Master Cutlery Maker (played by Cervantes)
27. Shepherd #1
28. Shepherd #2
29. Dorotea
30. Sansón Carrasco, the Bachelor
31. Tomé Cecial
32. 1st Wench
33. 2nd Wench
34. 3rd Wench
35. Death Actor
36. Devil Actor
37. Angel Actor
38. Knight Actor
39. Emerencia
40. Altisidora
41. Duchess
42. Duke
43. Majordomo
44. Monseñor Gómez
45. Barataria Townsperson #1
46. Barataria Townsperson #2
47. Barataria Tailor
48. Barataria Old Man
49. Barataria Country Woman
50. Barataria Swineherd
51. Enchanted Dulcinea
52. Residents of Barcelona
Throngs of people populate the public places in Cervantes. In
this play, inns, villages, roadways, the Court and the city of Bar-
celona can be filled with as many extra characters as are avail -
able.
10

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

 SUGGESTED DOUBLING FOR A CAST OF
7 MEN AND 3 WOMEN
ACTOR 1: Don Quixote
ACTOR 2: Sancho Panza
ACTOR 3: Miguel de Cervantes
2) Benedictine Monk #2
3) Master Cutlery Maker at Second Inn
ACTOR 4: Padre Pérez (the Curate)
2) Monk’s Servant #2
3) Wool Carder at Second Inn
4) Itinerant Barber
5) 3rd Wench
6) Monseñor Gómez
7) Barataria Townsperson #2
8) Barataria Tailor
9) Barataria Swineherd
10) Resident of Barcelona
ACTOR 5: Nicolás (the Barber)
2) Basque Man
3) Tailor from Sevilla at Second inn
4) Devil Actor
5) Duke
6) Resident of Barcelona
ACTOR 6: Carrasco (the Bachelor)
2) Innkeeper at First Inn
3) Monk’s Servant #1
4) Shepherd #1
5) Pedro Martínez, a Mule Driver at Second Inn
6) Barataria Townsperson #1
7) Barataria Old Man
8) Barataria Country Woman
11

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

ACTOR 7: Landlord at Second Inn
2) Benedictine Monk #1
3) Shepherd #2
4) Knight Actor
5) 1st Wench
6) Majordomo
7) Resident of Barcelona
ACTRESS 1: Dorotea
2) Aldonza
3) Basque Porter #2
4) Maritornes
5) Tomé Cecial
6) 2nd Wench
7) Altisidora
8) Enchanted Dulcinea
9) Resident of Barcelona
ACTRESS 2: Antonia
2) Basque Lady
3) Landlady’s Daughter at Second Inn
4) Angel Actor
5) Duchess
6) Resident of Barcelona
ACTRESS 3: Housekeeper
2) Basque Porter #1
3) Landlady at Second Inn
4) Death Actor
5) Emerencia
6) Resident of Barcelona

12

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

 ACT ONE

INTRODUCTION

(Blackout. Lights up on Alonso Quixada’s library with

its pro fu sion of books scat tered about. QUI XOTE/
QUIXADA, sitting on the floor amidst his books, is en-
grossed in his reading. CERVANTES, holding aloft an
ancient and battered sword, stands nearby. He proudly
declaims:)

CERVANTES.
El valor de don Quijote
toma a mi brazo
por instrumento
de sus hazañas.

Él pelea en mí.
Él vence en mí.
Y yo vivo, y respiro en él—
en él tengo vida y ser1

1 Don Quixote’s valor

takes my arm
to be the instrument
of his exploits.

He fights through me.

He conquers through me.
And I live and breathe in him—
in him I have life and meaning.

13

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

14 DON QUIXOTE Act I

(Bows to audience.) Miguel de Cervantes a vuestras

órdenes. En un lugar de la Mancha… (Pauses; switches
into English.) In a certain town of La Mancha, the name
of which I do not care to recollect, there lives an hi-
dalgo—an idle gentleman born into the rural gentry—he
is known as Alonso Quixada. Our hidalgo borders on the
age of fifty; he has a spare figure, gaunt features and is
as weathered as the parched plains of La Mancha itself.
He possesses a modest plot of land and a meager income
which scarcely covers the cost of his daily lentils and his
Sunday stew. He is a lonely man…his life is dull…
dry…

(ALDONZA crosses stage. QUIXOTE/QUIXADA rises;

watches her with extreme longing.)

CERVANTES. He has never known love…

(QUIXOTE/QUIXADA returns to his reading. CERVAN-

TES picks up books; peruses them.)

CERVANTES. For all that, he is an early riser and an hon-

est gentleman, who spends his time of leisure—which is
most of the year—devoted to constant study…
DON QUIXOTE. …the avid reading of old tales of ancient
chivalry.

(ANTONIA, HOUSE KEEPER en ter, pick up books,

sweep.)

CERVANTES. He shares his house hold with his niece,

Antonia, and his housekeeper.

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

Act I DON QUIXOTE 15

ANTONIA. Uncle, you neglect the management of your

dwindling estate and continue to sell the few remaining
acres of land to buy volume after volume of outmoded
fiction.
HOUSEKEEPER. You do noth ing but read old dusty
books from night to morning, morning to night.

(ANTONIA, HOUSEKEEPER exit.)

DON QUIXOTE. Of particular interest are the knights-er-

rant of centuries past…
CERVANTES. …those traveling gentlemen, who allied
themselves to no nobleman’s court but lived under the
cloak of heaven.
DON QUIXOTE. They rode out ready to face unknown
dangers on behalf of the needy and the frail.
CERVANTES. Who was the most illustrious knight: Ar-
thur of England or El Cid?
DON QUIXOTE. Reinaldos de Montalbán…
CERVANTES. …Amadís of Gaul…
DON QUIXOTE. …the Knight of the Flaming Sword!
CERVANTES. Fantasies fill his head with everything he
reads. Enchantments!
DON QUIXOTE. Battles!
CERVANTES. Challenges!
DON QUIXOTE. Giants!
CERVANTES. Wounds!
DON QUIXOTE. Tournaments!
CERVANTES. Ravishments!
DON QUIXOTE. Raptures!
CERVANTES. Our gentleman becomes so caught up in
reading that his brains dry up…and he loses his mind!

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

16 DON QUIXOTE Act I

(CERVANTES hands QUIXOTE/QUIXADA the ancient

sword.)

DON QUIXOTE. AAAARRRRGGGGHHH! (Brandishing

sword.) HAH! ¡Vive Dios! ¡Justicia! ¡Arma! ¡Guarda!

(HOUSE KEEPER, ANTONIA rush on. QUI XOTE/

QUIXADA attacks them.)

DON QUIXOTE. HAH! ¡A la victoria!

(LADIES exit.)

CERVANTES. Then he has the strangest thought any luna-

tic ever had—
DON QUIXOTE. I will become a knight-errant! I shall for-
sake my books and sally forth to expose myself to perils
of unimagined terror! I shall clad myself in…

(CERVANTES brings on rusty armor; helps QUIXOTE/

QUIXADA into it.)

CERVANTES. …the rusty, antique armor of a long-dead

ancestor…
DON QUI XOTE. …and travel the world in search of
wrongs to be righted. Thus will I bring glory to my
name and…oh, but I must choose a title and a name in
the style of the heroes of literature. Señor…señor—
CERVANTES. Not señor—Don!
DON QUIXOTE. Don! Don…er…Don…
CERVANTES. Don Quixote!

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

Act I DON QUIXOTE 17

DON QUI XOTE. Don Quixote! Don Quixote of—of—

surely not of this meager town.
CERVANTES. Of this whole region! Don Quixote de La
Mancha!
DON QUIXOTE. Don Quixote de la Mancha! Thus will I
reflect honor upon my lineage and upon my homeland!
And, according to the books I have read, I must chose
some lady to be my love. Whom shall I select?
CERVANTES. Who would be most worthy of adoration?

(ALDONZA enters, disheveled and dirty. She swats a

stick; herds her pigs.)

DON QUIXOTE. A young maiden from the neighboring

town of El Toboso…Aldonza Corchuelo…
CERVANTES. …daughter of the local hog butcher—
DON QUI XOTE (cor rect ing him). —a dam sel! With
whom I was once in love.
CERVANTES. Name her something sweet.
DON QUIXOTE. Dulce…dulce…Dulcinea…Dulcinea del
Toboso.
ALDONZA (herding pigs off). SOOOOOOWWWEEEE!

(CERVANTES brings in ROCINANTE.)

CER VAN TES. Then he goes to his bone-lean, sway-

backed horse—
DON QUIXOTE (correcting him). —his celebrated steed—
CERVANTES. …whose hooves have more cracks than his
master’s brain-pan.
DO N QU I XOT E ( p at t in g h im). I s h a ll ca l l yo u
ROCINANTE! (QUIXOTE mounts ROCINANTE.)

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

18 DON QUIXOTE Act I

CERVANTES. “Rocinante” means “The nag that goes be-

fore”—thus, our gentleman’s horse is the foremost nag
in all the world.
DON QUI XOTE (spurring ROCINANTE). HAH! (QUI-
XOTE is “on the road.”)

EPISODE #1

(CERVANTES displays placard #1, it reads: I: Don Qui-

xote’s first Sally from his Habitation.)

CERVANTES. Episodio número uno: “Que trata de la

primera salida de su tierra que hace don Quijote.”
Deeply imbued as he is with the ornate style used in an -
tiquated books of chivalry, Don Quixote evokes the
prose of those novels as he travels forward.
DON QUIXOTE. Doubtless in future ages, when my his-
tory is writ ten it will be gin thus: (Speaks in an
over-blown manner.) “Scarce had the little painted war-
blers hailed the arrival of rosy Aurora, when lo! the il-
lustrious Don Quixote de la Mancha, up-swinging from
his tranquil couch, commenced his…” (Pulling on reins;
halt ing ROCINANTE.) ¡SOOO! I am assaulted by a
dreadful thought! According to the laws of chivalry, un-
til I have been duly knighted, I can neither challenge an
antagonist of high degree nor enter any tournament.

(CERVANTES cues in INNKEEPER, who posts a sign

that reads: UNA POSADA/AN INN.)

CERVANTES. But, what does he see by the road?

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

Act I DON QUIXOTE 19

DON QUIXOTE. A castle! (Seeing INNKEEPER.) And is

the lord-master himself come out to greet me? (Dis-
mounts; bows deeply to INN KEEPER.) Oh, gen tle
prince, never was a man so honored!
INNKEEPER (wondering at the odd figure). Do you want
lodging?
DON QUIXOTE. Armor is my shelter.
INNKEEPER. Food?
DON QUIXOTE. My nourishment is the fray. I do ask,
how ever, that spe cial care be given to my mount,
Rocinante.
INNKEEPER. That nag?
DON QUIXOTE. A more elegant piece of horseflesh never
chewed an oat.
I NN KE E P ER . S i n du d a. ( Pla c i ng f e e db a g o n
ROCINANTE.)
DON QUIXOTE (kneeling). I humbly beg your lordship to
grant me one favor—
INNKEEPER. ¿Qué quiere?
DON QUIXOTE. Never will I rise from this supplicant
posture, thrice valiant knight, until you assure me that
this boon shall be granted.
INNKEEPER. ¿Señor?
DON QUIXOTE. I entreat you to make me a knight that I
may traverse the world redressing wrongs and delivering
solace to the needy.
INNKEEPER. What?
DON QUIXOTE. My books tell me that it was common
practice for one knight to dub another. (Rises.) Shall we
adjourn to the castle chapel for the ceremony?
INN KEEPER. Chapel? Uhh…it’s…closed—“closed for
renovation.” But other rooms are available. Before you

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

20 DON QUIXOTE Act I

go into the “castle,” though, let me ask—do you have

money?
DON QUIXOTE (proudly). Not a real.
INNKEEPER (removes feedbag; slaps ROCINANTE). Stop
eating, you miserable scrag! (To QUIXOTE.) And you—
back down on your knees.
DON QUIXOTE. Right here—now?

(CERVANTES hands INNKEEPER a club-like stick.)

INNKEEPER (swinging stick with relish). Any place will

do for this. (QUIXOTE kneels.)
INNKEEPER. It’s the dubs on the neck that matter. (Hits
QUI XOTE hard.) And the smacks on the shoulders.
(More hits.) Plus the whacks on the back. (Pummels
him.) You’re a knight!
DON QUIXOTE (flattened, groaning in pain). ¡Gracias!
In my boundless gratitude, I offer my services to you in
anything you command.
INNKEEPER. Carry cash.
DON QUIXOTE. I have never read in all the histories of
chiv alry that any knight-errant troubled himself with
such an encumbrance.
INNKEEPER. Look—those writers can’t mention every
single item a traveler needs: money, food, medicine,
money, clean underwear, money, and, oh, a servant, to
carry the baggage and to take care of that money.
DON QUIXOTE. Heaven preserve your worship, I will fol -
low your advice in every particular—

(INNKEEPER gives QUIXOTE one final kick; shoves

ROCINANTE.)

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

Act I DON QUIXOTE 21

INNKEEPER. ¡Váyanse! (INNKEEPER removes inn sign;

exits.)
CERVANTES. Don Quixote…
DON QUIXOTE (groaning). Ohhhh…
CER VANTES. …takes refuge in his usual remedy—he
thinks about his books and…
DON QUIXOTE. Dulcinea! (Recites.)
Oh, Dulcinea,
Where art thou, lady of my heart,
So heedless of my misery?
In El Toboso, there thou art—
While I suffer here for thee.
CERVANTES. But before our gentleman commences an-
other verse, it so happens that his fellow townsmen
come upon the scene. Padre Pérez, the village priest…

(Cervantes ushers on PADRE PÉREZ, the Curate, and

NICOLÁS, the Barber.)

PADRE PÉREZ. who is a graduate of a university—

NICOLÁS. —of a minor university—
PADRE PÉREZ. but is a man of some learning nonethe-
less.
CERVANTES. And Nicolás—
PADRE PÉREZ. the barber. (Sees QUIXOTE.) Bless us,
our neighbor Alonso Quixada is here.
NICOLÁS (to QUIXOTE). Has something happened?
DON QUIXOTE. I lie here injured in the field…
PADRE PÉREZ. Where have you been?
DON QUIXOTE (looking at PADRE PÉREZ). Ahh…noble
Marqués de Mantua, where have I not been?

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

22 DON QUIXOTE Act I

PADRE PÉREZ. I’m Padre Pérez—the priest…your con-

fessor.
NICOLÁS. Do you hurt?
DON QUIXOTE (looking at NICOLÁS). …valiant Don
Rodrigo de Narváez, my whole body throbs with one
continuous bruise…
NICOLÁS. I’m Nicolás—the barber…your barber.
DON QUIXOTE. …occasioned by a fearful engagement
with giants!
PADRE & NICOLÁS. Giants?
DON QUIXOTE. Sí. ¡Gigantes—gigantes enormes! Ten of
the most insolent giants that ever appeared upon the face
of the earth!
PADRE PÉREZ. Tell us, señor, do you know who you
are?
DON QUIXOTE (pause; speaks seriously). Of course. I
know very well who I am.

(They help QUIXOTE to his feet as night falls.)

CERVANTES. And so, as night falls, they return to the vil-

lage.

(ANTONIA, HOUSEKEEPER enter.)

ANTONIA. Uncle!
DON QUIXOTE. Open the gates and carry me to bed.
Search out the great enchantress Urganda that she may
appear and minister to the hurts, which I have acquired
through no fault of my own.

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

Act I DON QUIXOTE 23

HOUSEKEEPER. Your enchantress can go to the Devil—

we will nurse you ourselves. Curse those books a hun -
dred times!

(LADIES take QUIXOTE off. PADRE PÉREZ inspects

QUIXOTE’s books.)

PADRE PÉREZ. By the sign of the Cross, I perceive that

one of the finest minds in all of La Mancha has been
perverted by an extravagance of reading.

(LADIES re-enter.)

ANTONIA. My uncle does frequently read these books for

two days and nights together.
HOUSEKEEPER. Then he throws one book on the ground,
pulls out his sword and attacks the very walls.
PADRE PÉREZ. These books are detrimental to the na-
tion…so stuffed with improbable nonsense…they must
be banished—like unproductive people—from Christian
nations!
HOUSEKEEPER. Padre, sprinkle them with holy water!
PADRE PÉREZ. No! There is no remedy but excommuni-
cation— (NICOLÁS, LADIES react in horror.) …ex-
communication of these books of chivalry! (NICOLÁS,
LADIES sigh in relief.) We will try them each in order
and condemn the guilty to the flames! (PADRE PÉREZ
points at books in a very “inquisitorial” fashion. A bon-
fire appears.) Blesséd be the function of my faith.

(PADRE PÉREZ piously crosses himself; OTHERS fol-

low suit. Ominous liturgical MUSIC.)

end of excerpt -- production notes

follow

© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

 PRODUCTION NOTES

(These notes reflect the premiere production at Book-It

Repertory Theatre, Seattle, Wash., September 20-October
16, 2005.)

SET & PROPERTIES

Due to the requirements of fast scene changes and multiple

locations, the stage was bare. There were two 4’ X 8’ plat-
forms stage right, arranged like “bunk beds,” which were
used primarily for the “inn” scenes.

A triptych of three large painted drops depicting the vast,

arid countryside of La Mancha was hung upstage, in front
of a cyclorama. The drops were arranged in various config-
urations throughout the play.

Simple hand props were used.

All swords were stage combat capable; all duels, fights,

and battles were staged by a certified expert in stage com-
bat.

COSTUMES

Costumes were evocative of 17th-century Spain, although

the play could be costumed any number of ways. Because
this production had seven men and three women playing all
the roles, each actor was underdressed with a base costume
that was layered with additional costume pieces as needed.

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© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

SOUND & MUSIC

For the premier production, an original score incorporating

both sound and music was composed and pre-recorded. The
co-adapters believe that subsequent productions should in-
corporate music and sound that are stylistically appropriate:
live or recorded.

THE ATTACK ON THE WINDMILLS

This challenge can be met in many different ways. This

production used a large 8’ X 8’ flat on wheels, painted with
the image of a Manchagean windmill. The flat was rolled
on by an actor, and as Quixote attacked, the actor spun the
flat around. Several other actors used large windmill sail-
type paddles to beat Quixote as he charged after the flat.
The use of exaggerated windmill sounds enhanced the ef-
fect.

STEEDS

This play calls for two horses and one donkey.

ROCINANTE was a wooden “sawhorse”-type structure on

wheels with a detachable head. He was cut out of flat ply -
wood and was painted in a “cartoon-like” manner on both
sides. Quixote could sit on him, ride him, lead him by the
reins, etc. The head was attached to a dowel that was in-
serted into a socket drilled into the horse’s structure. When-
ever Quixote charged or fought on horseback, he simply

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© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

pulled the head out of its socket, straddled the dowel “hob-
byhorse”-style, and galloped around.

RUCIO was a barrel-shaped chest on wheels with a large,

painted papier-mâché donkey head attached. It was very
low to the ground and equipped with saddlebags. Sancho
could ride and lead him by the reins. Rucio’s head was not
removable. To create the classic silhouette of Quixote and
Sancho, Rucio was much closer to the ground than
Rocinante.

CARRASCO’s HORSE was a flat plywood head attached

to a wooden dowel that was ridden “hobbyhorse”-style.
The fight on horseback between Carrasco and Quixote was
performed using lances and only the heads of the “hobby-
horses.”

SHEEP

The two flocks of sheep were created by the sound of

sheep bleat ing. When Qui xote at tacked, the bleat ing
morphed into an abstract/grotesque soundscape of battle.

STYLE AND LANGUAGE

In Don Quixote, Cervantes includes episodes from several

different literary genres, including travel narrative, chivalric
adventure, slapstick com edy, pastoral romance, satirical
farce, meditative commentary. Consequently, he incorpo-
rates a variety a modes of expression. In shaping the mate-
rial into a play, the co-adapters endeavored to reflect both

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© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois

the spirit and the wording of the various episodes in the
play. They studied the original Spanish text with the assis-
tance of the 1611 Covarrubias Castilian dictionary (bless-
ings on Inter-Library Loan Services) and they consulted a
variety of translations, the earliest being that of Tobias
Smollett, a comic novelist in his own right. To be consis-
tent with the sensibility of Cervantes, they tried to restrict
their vocabulary to words that were in use in Spanish and
in English during the 17th century. The result: a mixture of
tones in both action and utterance—sometimes robust,
sometimes stilted, sometimes crude, sometimes poetical,
sometimes ribald, sometimes elegant. The co-adapters hope
that their script conveys a sense of the multifaceted glory
of Cervantes’ wondrous work.

When a Spanish word or phrase appears in the script, the

meaning is made clear by the dramatic context or by a
translation in the adjacent dialogue. In a few instances, a
translation appears in a footnote.

The co-adapters understand that this version may contain

some passages that are inappropriate for particular produc-
tions; the co-adapters should be contacted through Dra-
matic Publishing Company about the possibility of making
adjustments in the script.

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© The Dramatic Publishing Company, Woodstock, Illinois