Download Performance Guide Part 1 - Theatre and Dance | Appalachian

Presents
The Adventures of Don Quixote
By Steven Fogell
Appalachian State University
Department of Theatre & Dance
Spring 2014
Appalachian Young People’s Theatre
Who we are and what we do.
"Theatre, the imagined and enacted world of human beings, is one of the primary ways
children learn about life - about actions and consequences, about customs and beliefs, about
others and themselves."
-National Theatre Standards for Arts Education
The Appalachian Young People's Theatre is committed to bringing high quality, low-cost
live theatre experiences to young audiences in North Carolina and the surrounding region. The
A.Y.P.T. touring program has been offered as part of the Appalachian State University
Department of Theatre and Dance curriculum since 1972.
The mission of Appalachian Young People's Theatre is to produce a variety of quality
plays with educational value including fairy tales, folk tales, audience participation plays, and
musicals primarily for elementary school audiences. A.Y.P.T.'s productions are seen by up to
6,500 young people each spring, largely in rural areas.
The company consists of dedicated undergraduate students from the Department of
Theatre and Dance at Appalachian under the direction of Professor Teresa Lee. If you would
like more information or have questions concerning the play or this study guide, please let us
know. Also letters and/or pictures and projects made by your students are always welcome and
most appreciated!
Contact
Teresa Lee
Director of Appalachian Young People's Theatre
Appalachian State University
Department of Theatre and Dance
Boone, NC 28608 ! (828) 262-6376 ! Email: [email protected]
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Teachers!
This performance study guide provides some background information about the play and our
company as well as activities, which can be integrated into your curriculum. These activities are
intended to further the students’ appreciation of the play as well as introduce to both the teacher
and the student the many ways in which drama can be incorporated into the classroom. We
believe that this experience should encourage creativity, nourish an appreciation of live theatre,
and allow a further insight into ourselves, resulting in the cultural enrichment of our young
people. Since our audiences range in grade levels, we have included a variety of activities. We
encourage you to choose and use the information and age-appropriate activities in a way that will
best suit the needs of your students. Feel free to photocopy any part of this booklet for
educational purposes.
To know more about our program, please visit:
http://www.theatre.appstate.edu/appalachian-young-peoples-theatre
Table of Contents
Who We Are and What We Do………..….Page 2
Table of Contents…………………………..Page 3
Background & Synopsis………….…..……Page 4
The World of Don Quixote .………...…..Page 5-6
Before the Performance Activities…...……Page 7
After the Performance Activities ….……....Page 8
Cross Curricular Activities & Resources…...Page 9
Word Search………………………………..Page 10
Crossword Puzzle……………………….….Page 11
Theatre in Our Schools Month….….……...Page 12
Production Program………………..…........Page 13
Director’s Note…………………….…..…....Page 14
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Background of the Author and the Book
Miguel De Cervantes Saavedra (1547-1616) was a Spanish novelist, poet and playwright.
In his early years he was a soldier, having fought at the Battle of Lepanto where he received
serious wounds and lost his left hand. In 1575 he was captured and imprisoned in Algiers for five
years and made four daring attempts to escape. Ransomed by his family, he returned to Madrid,
but was hampered by his disability.
It is said he wrote the first part of Don Quixote in prison in Argamasilla in La Mancha.
The first part of Don Quixote was published in 1605 when Cervantes was 57 years old, and soon
became a success. It first came out when Shakespeare had just finished writing Macbeth.
Cervantes completed the second part of Don Quixote in 1615, just a year before his death.
Don Quixote, considered the first modern European novel, was recently voted by a poll
of the world’s leading authors as the most important multicultural publication of the 17th century.
Although published some 400 years ago in Spanish, this parody of the chivalrous life remains
amazingly familiar in translations today – perhaps from the extensive influence it has played
over the centuries on novelists like Mark Twain, such artists as Gustave Dore and Pablo Picasso,
and even composers – Richard Strauss is one. Or perhaps it lives because of its eternal story of
the childlike and comic view of a decayed world by a madman stuck in a golden past.
Synopsis of the Play
The story begins with a young boy named Kendrick who meets an old man, Alonso
Quijano, who claims he is to become a knight. Kendrick does not believe him until a magical
book produces a suit of armor. Alonso Quijano is then transformed into Don Quixote de La
Mancha. Don Quixote proclaims Kendrick to be his squire named Sancho, and they set out upon
a quest. Also appearing is Don Quixote's trusty steed, Rocinante. Along the way they meet
Aldonza, a laundry maid. Don Quixote believes she is the enchanted Dulcinea, a woman of
beauty and virtue.
Our unlikely pair journey on through Spain until Don Quixote has a disastrous fight with
a windmill, which he mistakes as a giant. Seeking rest and food, they make their way to an inn,
seen as a castle by Don Quixote. After much debate the Innkeeper dubs Don Quixote as a true
knight. Don Quixote sees the Innkeeper as a true King.
Dulcinea appears once more and warns Don Quixote of the Dark Knight of Mirrors who
is set on stopping and destroying him. In a great battle Sancho and Don Quixote come face to
face with a dragon, and the Dark Knight, who turns out to be someone other than expected. The
Don is made to face what is real and what is his imagination.
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The World of Don Quixote
Vocabulary and Phrases
Knight Errant – a knight traveling in search of adventures in which to exhibit military skill
bravery, and generosity
Quest – a journey in pursuit of adventure
Squire – a young man who served a medieval knight as an attendant
Chivalry – the noble qualities of a knight, such as courage, honor, and readiness to help and
protect the weak.
Honor – high regard or great respect given, a keen sense of right and wrong
Virtue – general excellence, right action and thinking, goodness
Steed – a spirited riding horse
Peasant – any person of the class of farmer or farm laborer
Joust – a combat with lances between knights
Bravery – the quality of not being afraid, being able to face danger
Destiny – an inevitable outcome that the future will bring
These phrases, created and translated from Cervantes’ original Spanish text are used in the
production. See how many are still used in today’s conversations.
• A wild goose chase
• The sky’s the limit
• Mind your own business
• You've seen nothing yet
• Think before you speak
Training for a Squire
While there are few detailed accounts of a squire's training, this undated medieval Fragment by
John Harding yields a good timeline upon which a young nobleman found the stages of his
training.
• Age 4, he enters a kind of school to learn to read and write
• Age 6, he continues his training and learns to carve at the table, serving as a page. This
was often done under the supervision of the lady of a castle, who had charge of the page
training.
• Age 14, he is taught to hunt. Stalking the quarry in preparation for training with weapons
for war, which would begin around the age of 16 or younger.
• Between 18 and 24, a page would likely be knighted by a local knight or if he is very
lucky, by a greater noble or even the king
Many knights did not live past 30 years of age. Disease, battles, and poor living conditions killed
many.
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Being a Knight
It is said that real knights date back as far as the 12th century. In this time knights were
men who possessed weapons and the proper skills to use them. Skill with sword, lance, and horse
were the basic requirements for knighthood, more than a focus toward an ideal. From the earliest
days of what might be called the chivalric tradition, any knight could make another man a knight.
Many knights were made on the battlefield for brave actions or fighting skill. But there was
honor to be gained in being knighted by a King or particular renown or by a powerful nobleman
whose reputation as a knight brought him fame. There was no centralized registry of knights, nor
was the ceremony an absolute requirement.
The idea that a knighthood needed to be obtained through particular channels came with
the Renaissance. English knights began to obtain their station directly from the crown. These
knights varied in quality as surely as did the medieval ones. As in the Middle Ages, some
followed some kind of romantic ideal while others held the attitude that only performances on
the battlefield counted. Knights of both types all ultimately failed to achieve the perfection of
their ideal, whether it was a purely martial image or a more philosophical one, but they could
succeed in the betterment of themselves and of their world, and this was the function of
knighthood.
Masked Actors
Many actors perform in masks to become another character quickly. All sorts of theatre
masks date back to primitive cultures. In The Adventures of Don Quixote the Don wears a mask in
the beginning to portray an old man, and Antonia wears a masked helmet to become the Knight of
the Mirrors. The Don Quixote mask in this production comes from a style of theatre known as
Commedia dell' Arte, or "Italian Comedy." This was a humorous theatrical presentation performed
by professional players who traveled in troupes throughout Italy in the 16th Century. Masks forced
the actors to project their characters' emotions through the body. Leaps, tumbles, stock gags,
extreme gestures, and slapstick antics were incorporated into their acts. The masks had very
precise features to portray a certain style of person. For example, Don Quixote's mask was a
Pantalone mask: representing the character of an old man. This mask, usually made of leather,
showed these characteristics with exaggerated eyebrows and a long wrinkled face.
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Before the Performance…
Theatre Vocabulary
• Actor/Actress: A person who portrays characters in plays, movies, etc.
• Character: A make-believe person portrayed in a play.
• Protagonist: The main character or hero in a drama or other literary work.
• Antagonist: The principal character in opposition to the protagonist of a narrative or drama.
• Theme: The central point, or idea expressed in the play.
• Prop/Property: A movable object used by actors within a play to enhance the visual
experience.
• Set: The place that the action occurs on stage created by scenery.
• Set Designer: The person who creates the scenery for a show.
• Costume Designer: The person who creates the costumes for a show.
Discussion Questions
• What is proper theatre audience etiquette?
• What are the differences between watching movies/television and watching a live theatre
performance?
• What are some ways watching a live performance is different from reading a book?
• How can stories change when they are adapted from literature to film and theatre?
• In our version of the story, Don Quixote is really an elderly man named Alonso Quijano, who
is losing his memory and merely thinks he is Don Quixote. Have you ever dealt with a
grandparent or elder who has dealt with similar issues? What are some ways we can help
these individuals?
Write
• What are some other stories you may know that include brave knights? Imagine you yourself
are one of those knights, and then write a story about saving someone from danger. What is
an obstacle that might stand in your way? Windmills? Maybe dragons?
Perform
• Theatre is another form of storytelling where the characters come to life before your very
eyes. Pick your favorite story (or maybe a story written for the “write” section) and act it out
for your classmates. To make it extra fun, try to include masks, costumes, props, some sound
and specific voices or ways of speaking for each of the characters in your story.
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