A Picture of Life on the Border
Much of Quixote Nuevo takes place in aging professor Joe Quijano’s “fever dream” as he struggles with encroaching dementia. Throughout the play, we’re provided a window into Quijano’s imagination—a karaoke bar becomes a castle, a herd of sheep sounds like a dragon.
While these fantastical elements are important, the play is ultimately grounded in a much more realistic setting: a tiny desert town in Texas, on the border between the United States and Mexico. Themes of migration, fear and belonging run deeply through the play, and influence all of Quijano’s actions.
It can be difficult to get a sense of what border towns are actually like, especially for people living thousands of miles away from the border, which stretches from the tip of South Texas to the Pacific Ocean (Almond, CNN). It is a particular challenge because the border has increasingly become a symbolic place representing a contentious political divide. Those in favor of a border wall often refer to “the crisis” along the border, invoking the dangers of drugs and crime. However, those with more personal experience of border towns paint a different picture. Ron Nixon, the homeland security correspondent for the New York Times, notes that “in many ways, border cities and towns and the people who live there are no different from those who live in the rest of the United States.” Nixon notes that while drug smuggling and other crime does occur, most of the border crossings between the U.S. and Mexico are much more mundane. Almost one million people per day cross for their commute to work, or for recreational activities like shopping.
To be sure, living in a border town does pose unique challenges. The intense heat and vastness of the desert can quickly become dangerous. According to a guide on desert survival, desert air temperatures often reach 100°F or more, while ground temperatures can hit a scorching 150°F. Many desert plants grow low to the ground and don’t provide cover from the intense heat of the sun. Many border towns are tiny communities separated by vast areas of uninhabited desert. An article on West Texas towns notes that these “small cities and towns…are slowly turning into…ghost towns….in many places the…residents must drive hundreds of miles to get medical care” (Reinhold, 1985). This ghost-town transformation can be explained by the shifting needs of the population. With a growing shift away from agriculture, younger residents often leave their small communities in order to find jobs in larger Texas cities.
Despite these challenges, or perhaps because of them, residents of border towns are fiercely proud of where they live, and ultimately push back against how they are often portrayed in the media. The mayor of Laredo, Texas, Pete Saenz, was quoted by the New York Times: “We don’t see people across the river as living in another country. We see them as our family, as part of the same community.” The mayor of McAllen, Texas, Jim Darling, when interviewed by TIME magazine, said, “…just saying there’s a crisis on the border: it affects border towns. We’re a vibrant area.” Darling continued by cautioning against fear-mongering and frightening rhetoric about the border, noting that while it may create a dramatic story for the media to sell, it hurts border towns and their residents (Martinez).
We gratefully acknowledge our friends at Hartford Stage and their Education staff for the use of this material.
More about Quixote Nuevo:
Behind The Curtain: Co-Pro!
What is a "co-pro?" Production Coordinator Haille Lantz-Sweeney explains how co-productions are a special collaborative process that allows different theatre companies to join forces, with staff, resources, and creative ideas all working in harmony to create an experience like Quixote Nuevo.
An Old Story Made New
What to know about Don Quixote de la Mancha (1605) to understand Quixote Nuevo (2019)
Octavio Solis’ play Quixote Nuevo is inspired by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra’s book Don Quixote de la Mancha written in 1605: perhaps the most famous novel ever written in the Spanish language. To understand the play, it is useful to know a little about the original story.
Frontera Glossary: Border Glosario
Quixote Nuevo is a play that welcomes both English and Spanish speakers into its audience. Here are a few words your ear might encounter as you follow Don Quixote on his journey throughout La Plancha, Texas.
Making it Nuevo: A Conversation with Playwright Octavio Solis
Considered one of the most prominent Latino playwrights in North America, Octavio Solis has been produced from New York to California and everywhere in between. Read what he has to say about his play Quixote Nuevo, the characteristic humor of the play, and what keeps him writing.
Reviews of "Quixote Nuevo*
"The most extraordinary show I’ve seen at PCS in several years!"
"Energetic and ambitious. A spectacle for the senses. Not a single dull moment."
"The costumes, the set, the puppets, the amazing actors. So much to enjoy. The show had me smiling, crying, and enthralled ...
Quixote Nuevo Reading List
Calling all readers! Multnomah County Library put together a reading list inspired by our production of Quixote Nuevo.
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