Quixote Nuevo
If you like:
- In the Heights
- Disney & PIXAR's Coco
- Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles
The story of Don Quixote comes alive with a modern twist! In the fictional town of La Plancha, Texas, a brilliant professor battling dementia imagines himself as Cervantes’ titular hero. Enlisting his own Sancho, he embarks on a journey for his long-lost love — confronting border patrol drones rather than windmills. Featuring vibrant, Spanish-infused music and language, this magical retelling spotlights Tejano culture and celebrates life, love, and the human spirit.
“Brilliant … it's rare that you come across a new adaptation of a classic text that feels groundbreaking and new while still retaining the heart of the original.” –BroadwayWorld
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.
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 ...
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.
Quixote Nuevo Reading List
Calling all readers! Multnomah County Library put together a reading list inspired by our production of Quixote Nuevo.
Art Exhibit: ¡Soy Yo! by Mika Martinez
¡Soy Yo!, is a multi-media project, created by Mika Martinez, that examines and celebrates Latinx identity featuring more than 50 portraits of the Hispanic/Latino community in Portland.
Piano Bar with Courtney Freed and David Saffert
Join us for this monthly event with local songstress Courtney Freed and Portland-based pianist David Saffert as they host a good old-fashioned PIANO BAR.
The Cast
Raul is excited to make his debut at Portland Center Stage. Theatrical credits include Quixote Nuevo at Seattle Repertory, South Coast Repertory, Denver Center for the Performing Arts & Round House, Zoot Suit at El Teatro Campesino, Center Theatre Group, and San Diego Repertory, Don Rayo in A Silvery Night at Frida Kahlo Theatre, Cancion Del Inmigrante; A Folk Opera with One Grain of Sand Puppet Theatre, August 29 at the Latino Theatre Company, Oscar Zeta Acosta in Brown Buffalo at Company of Angels, Corridos Remix, Mummified Deer, and Bandido at the San Diego Repertory. Other national tours: Veteranos, A Legacy of Valor, and Selena Forever. TV/Film: Mayans MC, Enlightened, Outlaw, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, and Shadow Kingdom with Bob Dylan.
He is thrilled to make his Portland Center Stage debut. South Coast Repertory: American Mariachi, A Christmas Carol, La Posada Mágica; Denver Center for the Performing Arts: Quixote Nuevo, Sunsets and Margaritas; Arizona Theatre Company: American Mariachi; Cal Shakes: Quixote Nuevo (world premiere); Pasadena Playhouse: Of Mice and Men; San Diego Repertory Theatre: Zoot Suit, The Imaginary Invalid; Los Angeles Theatre Company and national tour: Veteranos: A Legacy of Valor. He dedicates his performance to his loving family and to his friend, maestro and grand knight of Chicanos, Emilio Delgado. @elsolcastillo
Alicia is a 2018 theater arts graduate of the University of California, Davis. Coca’s work includes A Christmas Carol (2022 and 2023), the 2022 Pacific Playwrights Festival, She Loves Me (2020), and American Mariachi (2019 and 2021) at South Coast Repertory. She also appeared in Latino Theater Company’s 2020 virtual productions of Just Like Us directed by Fidel Gomez, and August 29 directed by Alberto Barboza. Coca made her Actors’ Equity debut in March 2019 in American Mariachi at Arizona Theatre Company. @alicia_coca
Laura is thrilled to debut at Portland Center Stage. Selected regional credits include: Under a Baseball Sky (The Old Globe), Mushroom (People´s Light), Quixote Nuevo (Denver Center for the Performing Arts, South Coast Repertory, Seattle Rep), On the Wings of Mariposa (First Stage). Selected Chicago credits include: La Ruta (Steppenwolf Theatre), Pedro Páramo, Yasmina’s Necklace, The Sins of Sor Juana, Mariela in the Desert, Electricidad, Esperanza Rising (Goodman Theatre), Into the Beautiful North (16th Street), Blind Mouth Singing, Another Part of the House (Teatro Vista). International tours: Cuarteto (La Havana), Pedro Páramo (Montreal), La Casa de Bernarda Alba (Cuzco, Buenos Aires). Selected credits in Mexico: Las Madres, Cuarteto, Se busca, Barbacoa, Aristofánica, Cuentos de Niebla. Film credits: Startled Faction, Maydays, and Out of Love. lauracrotte.org.
Viviana is delighted to make her debut at Portland Center Stage. Viviana is a queer, Brown multi-hyphenate performing artist, vocalist, dancer, and advocate for racial and social equity. They are excited to showcase their culture and share this story about grief, mental health, realismo mágico, and aging with Portland audiences. Recent highlights: Jess in Sound Theatre’s Cost of Living; Seattle Rep’s Public Works’ The Tempest; Maria in Showtunes Theatre Company's 9 to 5; Julius Caesar in Seattle Shakespeare Company’s Julius Caesar; Benvolio and Capulet in Seattle Shakespeare Company's Romeo and Juliet; Understudy for Minerva, Dede/American Woman, and Mate in Book-It Repertory Theatre’s In the Time of the Butterflies.
Select theater credits include Seattle Rep, South Coast Rep, Denver Center for Performing Arts, Round House Theatre, Milwaukee Rep, The Second City Chicago (BrownCo.), Porthouse Theatre, La MaMa (Off-Broadway), and Creative Place Theatre (Off-Broadway). As a company member of Ohio Shakespeare since '07, Ernie has played several Shakespearean Clowns; Bottom in A Midsummer Night's Dream, Touchstone in As You Like It, both Dromios in The Comedy of Errors, Costard in Love's Labour's Lost, and Lavatch in All's Well That Ends Well. Select TV credits include co-starring roles in Euphoria, Carol’s Second Act, indebted, One Day at a Time, Grace and Frankie, Alone Together, No Tomorrow, Training Day, American Crime, and national commercials for Sonic Drive-In, Rite Aid, Lowes, and Nopalina. When in doubt, visit AllAboutErnie.com. IG: @allabouternie
Maya is an ensemble member with Studio Luna and a lifelong member of Milagro. Stage credits: Quixote Nuevo (Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Seattle Rep & South Coast Repertory Theatre); Persuasion (San Jose Stage Company); Wolf at the Door & Lydia (Milagro); The Times, Generation Sex & LunaUnlaced (Studio Luna); Deferred Action & De Troya (Cara Mia Theatre). Screen credits: Lessons in Chemistry (Apple Original); Friends in High Places (Pocha Productions); My Friend Frida (Haze Grey Pictures). Voiceover work: Women of Fire (Audible Original) & her story “Down the Side of the Mountain” is featured in Talking While Female and Other Dangerous Acts (Audible Original). Maya received her B.F.A from The Theatre School at DePaul University. Visit mayamalangonzalez.com to learn more.
Tony is ecstatic to be making his debut at Portland Center Stage. Appearing as Quijano/Quixote makes is 5th collaboration with Octavio Solis, the others include: the World Premiers of Scenes With Cranes at the RedCat in Los Angeles and Mother Road at Oregon Shakespeare Festival and Arena Stage in DC; he played Rene in the co-pro of Lydia at Yale Rep and the Mark Taper Forum; and the Midwest Premier of Dreamlandia at Chicago’s Victory Gardens Theater. Other selected stage credits include: Juror 6 in Twelve Angry Men at Laguna Playhouse; Hephaistos in Prometheus Bound starring the late Ron Cepheus Jones at the Getty Villa, produced by CalArts; he starred as Jackie in West Coast Premier of The Motherf**Ker With The Hat by Stephen Adly Guirgis at South Coast Rep; and Mace in Pulitzer Prize-nominated play The Elaborate Entrance Of Chad Diety by playwright Kristoffer Diaz’ in Berkeley CA.
Lakin is thrilled to return to Portland Center Stage. His theatrical credits include Quixote Nuevo (Seattle Rep, South Coast Repertory Theatre, and Denver Center for the Performing Arts), Persuasion (San Jose Stage Company), Valley of the Heart (Mark Taper Forum), Mojada (Oregon Shakespeare Festival/Portland Center Stage), Between Riverside and Crazy (American Conservatory Theatre), Oedipus El Rey (San Diego Repertory) and El Henry (La Jolla Playhouse). TV/Film: Kimi (Warner Bros.), Licorice Pizza (MGM), Slice (A24), CSI: Vegas (CBS), Bosch: Legacy (Freevee), and The Brave (NBC).
The Creative Team
Octavio is a playwright and director whose plays have been mounted at theaters across the country. Solis is a multi-award winner, including the 2019 Distinguished Achievement in the American Theater Award, the 2018 Imagen Award for his consultancy on Disney/Pixar’s Coco, and the 2015 Distinguished Achievement Award from the Texas State University Black and Latino Playwrights Conference. Solis was recently inducted into the Texas Institute of Letters. His book, Retablos: Stories From a Life Lived Along The Border, received the 2018 Silver Indies Award for Book of the Year.
Lisa is pleased to be making her Portland Center Stage debut. Recent credits: Quixote Nuevo (Seattle Rep, South Coast Repertory, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Round House Theatre) and the world premieres of Laughs in Spanish by Alexis Scheer (Denver Center) and Clean/Espejos by Christine Quintana (South Coast Repertory). Lisa is a co-founder of the Latinx Theatre Commons, serves on the Executive Board of the Stage Directors and Choreographers Union, and Chairs the Department of Theatre & Dance at UC San Diego. She is also the proud mama of Eva and Carlitos Murillo. Special thanks to her husband, the playwright, Carlos Murillo. lisaportes.com, @olisasilo
Marissa is a third-generation Chicana and LA native. Feature credits: Quixote Nuevo (Denver Center for the Performing Arts; Henry Award nominee), In the Heights (La Mirada Theater for the Performing Arts; Broadway World Regional Award nominee), The Composer is Dead (LA Phil at The Walt Disney Concert Hall), Selena Forever (national tour), 35th-anniversary production of Zoot Suit (national tour). TV/Film: You Got Served and Two Feet In (Executive Producer). She is also the Co-Founder and Executive Director of 4C LAB (501c3) and CEO of De Mi Alma Productions. marissaherrera.net, @marissacreates
Mexican-American Scenic Designer born and raised in East Los Angeles. Recipient of Henry Awards for the Denver Center for the Performing Arts productions of In The Upper Room and Quixote Nuevo. Recipient of a LA Weekly Theater Award for both Production Design and Lighting Design for Poor Dog Group’s Brewsie and Willie. Nominated for an Ovation Award in Best Scenic Design for Culture Clash’s Bordertown Now as well as a Barrymore Award in Outstanding Scenic Design for Bienvenidos Blancos with Team Sunshine Corporation and Mushroom at People’s Light. Head of Scenic Design at UC Irvine.
Helen is an award-winning costume designer whose credits include Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Alley Theatre, South Coast Repertory, Guthrie Theater, Arena Stage, Ford’s Theatre, Round House Theatre, Utah Shakespeare Festival, Children’s Theatre Company, Classic Stage Company, Disney Entertainment, and The Washington Ballet. Awards: Helen Hayes Award, Henry Award, Anderson Hopkins Award, and Ivey Award. Helen is a professor of Costume Design at University of Maryland, College Park. helenqhuang.com
Pablo is a multi-award-winning and nominated live performance and digital film lighting designer. His designs aim to find evocative images that embody the emotional moment of the show and create images that can spark the imagination of audiences to worlds beyond the stage. Santiago has worked at performance venues across the country and world, including The Kennedy Center, Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Goodman Theater, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, South Coast Repertory, and Theatro Municipal de São Paulo, Brazil.
David returns to PCS, where he last worked on Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles (2017). He’s been with Quixote Nuevo since its inception in 2018. Recent credits: The XIXTH (The Old Globe), Hotter Than Egypt (Denver Center for the Performing Arts), Twelfth Night (St. Louis Shakespeare Festival), touring with La Mezcla dance company, and his multimedia concert The Long Walk Home. Awards: LA Ovation, Creative Capital, St. Louis Theater Circle, Colorado Henry Award, MAP Fund, and San Francisco Arts Commission. Multimedia collaborations: SFMOMA, The Broad, Oakland Museum of California, McLoughlin Gallery. Bands: Impuritan, Ghosts and Strings, and Transient. drmsound.com
Music Director: Broadway, Off-Broadway, and regional theater, including Oregon Shakespeare Festival, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Hartford Stage, Huntington Theatre Company, Alley Theatre, and more. Recent collaborations as a composer-lyricist and librettist include the Jimmy Awards on Broadway, New York Theatre Barn, Cutting Ball Theater, Boston Lyric Opera, Long Beach Opera, Prospect Theater Company, 24 Hour Plays, Long Wharf, and the Johnny Mercer Writers Colony at Goodspeed Musicals. Jesse’s currently under commission with the Oregon Cabaret and Zach Theater. jessejsanchez.com
Shawna is so excited to make her Portland Center Stage debut with this incredible piece. Select stage management credits include: 2:22 – A Ghost Story, Twilight: Los Angeles, 1992, The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe (Center Theatre Group); King Lear, Witness Uganda, A Christmas Carol, UNMASKED: A Theatrical Celebration of Black Women’s Liberation (The Wallis); Paradise Blue (Geffen Playhouse); Medusa: The Musical (Deaf West Theatre); Pippin (North Coast Rep); The Window (WACO Theater Center); If I Forget, Citizen: An American Lyric, In The Red And Brown Water, The Brothers Size, The Ballad of Emmett Till [Digital Remount], Reborning (Fountain Theatre); 33 Variations, A Body of Water, Steel Magnolias (Actors Co-Op); Hocus Pocus: A Musical Cocktail Experience, A Christmas Carol Cocktail Spectacular (After Hours Theatre Company); Next to Normal (Triage Productions); and the acclaimed remount of Citizen: An American Lyric as part of CTG’s inaugural Block Party. Thank you for supporting live theatre!
Danny is excited to return back to Portland Center Stage for this production of Quixote Nuevo. Other credits include Kristina Wong, Sweatshop Overlord, August Wilson’s Gem of the Ocean, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Frida … A Self Portrait, The Magic Play, and Every Brilliant Thing here at Portland Center Stage. As well as True Story, American Fast, and The Children at Artists Repertory Theatre. When he’s not busy working on shows, you can usually find him playing with trash or baking too many pies. But silliness set aside; Danny would like to thank todos los chuchos chucos en su vida.
Jean is a theater and XR director originally from the Dominican Republic. Directing credits include Arkansas New Play Festival, Williamstown Theater Festival, San Diego Rep, and The Los Angeles Theater Center. Associate/Assistant Directing: Laughs in Spanish (Denver Center for the Performing Arts), The Most Happy in Concert (Williamstown), Destiny of Desire (Cincinnati Playhouse), and Macbeth (Oregon Shakespeare Festival). SDC Observership with the 2023 Broadway Revival of Sweeney Todd. M.F.A in directing, UCLA. jeancarloyunen.com
Kamilah is a playwright and dramaturg originally from North Carolina. She currently holds the position of literary manager at Portland Center Stage in Portland, OR. Kamilah has spent several years working in celebrated regional theaters across the country, including Triad Stage in Greensboro, NC, Asolo Repertory Theater in Sarasota, FL and Two River Theater in Red Bank, NJ.
Bernardo is a border brat from the San Diego South Bay. He has been teaching and working in the arts around the country for premier, prestigious companies as well as on grassroots, community-based projects. Bernardo has also organized for public health causes and voting campaigns in Hispanic communities throughout California. Bernardo is an all-around story-focused advocate and seeks to create spaces where different peoples intersect to listen, learn, labor, love, and play together.
Eduardo began his musical theater career at El Teatro Campesino (ETC) in 1969 as a teenage actor-musician and songwriter. In a lifelong association with ETC, he has written music for many of its shows. In 1987, he had the honor of accepting the Tony Award for Excellence in Regional Theatre on behalf of the San Francisco Mime Troupe. From 2015-2017, he wrote the music and lyrics to a new Pastorela by Joan Holden. Robledo currently performs in and composes for several bands in the San Francisco Bay Area.
Michael has choreographed stage violence for South Coast Repertory, La Mirada Theatre, North Coast Repertory, New Swan Shakespeare Festival, and others. As an actor, he has appeared at Mint Theatre Company, Pioneer Theatre Company, Ensemble Theatre Company, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, and Playmakers Repertory Company, among others. His film and television credits include Mid-Century, 86 Melrose Avenue, “Bel-Air,” and numerous soaps, web series, and shorts. Polak received his M.F.A. from Pennsylvania State University and his B.A. from California State University, Fullerton. michaelpolakactorfd.com
Associate Professor of Acting at Yale Drama, certified in Knight-Thompson Speechwork and Fitzmaurice Voicework. Dialect credits: Quixote Nuevo (Seattle Rep, South Coast Repertory, Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Round House Theatre); Wish You Were Here, Mojada: A Medea in Los Angeles, Today Is My Birthday, El Huracán (Yale Repertory Theatre); Laughs in Spanish (Denver Center); Queen of Basel (TheaterWorks Hartford); Scenes with Cranes (REDCAT); In the Heights (Phoenix Theater, Chance Theater); Orange is the New Black. SAG/AFTRA, AEA. Books: Latinx Actor Training and Scenes for Latinx Actors. cynthiadecure.com
A Los Angeles native theater artist. Garcia returned to South Coast Repertory with Quixote Nuevo after serving as puppetry director for The Long Road Today. Writer/creator of Remedios Varo: La Alquimista, which was presented at the 2018 LAX Performance Festival, and directed Hija de Mi Madre for the Short+Sweet Hollywood Latinx Festival, which won various awards. Garcia received an M.F.A. in ensemble-based physical theater from Dell’Arte International School of Physical Theatre, is on the faculty of CalArts, and is a resident teaching artist for Center Theatre Group. @estelag6
For This Production
Steph Landister, Production Assistant
Taz Coffey, Abby Jaquin, Deck Hands
Will Bailey, Jenna Cady, Abigail Weinman, Dressers
Nikki Paulson, Swing Dresser
Jessica Lee Carr Miller, Miranda Nolten, Wig Artisans
Michelle Stoyanoff, Wig and Makeup Artisan Crew
Heather Taylor, Costume Maintenance Technician
Milissa Heller, Crafts Artisan
Mads Hamilton (They/Them), Abbie Northrop (They/He), A2
Roy Joshua Antonio, Asta Baker, Zachariah Barbour, Taz Coffey, Graden Downing, Sophina Flores, Allison Knight-Blaine, Steph Landtiser, Dug Martell, Kelli McCloskey, Esther McFaden, Myke Rodriguez, Joshua Yoon, Electricians
Audience Raves
"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 for the entirety of the performance!"
"This was a very involved performance — rapid costume changes, puppets, lighting, and music — it was a very rich experience. We were transfixed!"
"Thought-provoking, beautiful, imaginative, funny, profound, and deep in the implications on many levels!"
"The adaptation of the story was lovely to watch. I shed tears at the end. Thank you!"
Local Reviews
“This gorgeous show is exactly the kind of thing we need more of right now – a celebration of the indomitable human spirit and a challenge to us all to not just imagine a better world but to make that world a reality… a multisensory feast.” —BroadwayWorld
"Octavio Solis's contemporary spin on 'Don Quixote' reimagines the wise man/mad man hero in a tale that tumbles brightly and searingly across the Mexican/Texan border." —Oregon ArtsWatch
In The News
Quixote Nuevo stars Tony Sancho and Maya Malan-Gonzalez interview with local news KGW8! Check out the interview here.
Oregon playwright brings his own story to Quixote Nuevo at Portland Center Stage, The Oregonian
Octavio Solis’s Quixote Nuevo quest, Oregon ArtsWatch
Reviews of Our Co-Production
“Brilliant … it's rare that you come across a new adaptation of a classic text that feels groundbreaking and new while still retaining the heart of the original.” —BroadwayWorld
"Bursting with Tejano music and puppets of many sizes and styles, Quixote Nuevo deftly and efficiently leads viewers from reality to fantasy and into the murky borderlands that lie in between." —Seattle Times
"Brilliant yet accessible, visually stunning, and truly fun despite being emotionally complex." —DailyUW
"Quixote Nuevo commands the stage, reminding audiences what it means to be epic…Go see the play for yourself!" —Drama In The Hood
"Playwright Octavio Solis has fashioned a highly inventive meditation on old age and its sorrows—and on the gnawing desire for second chances late in life—while also mining a rich vein of comedy." —Brian Robin
“A feast for the senses…touching and tragic…intriguingly engaging…filled with creative theatrical touches.” —Broadway World
“RECOMMENDED…Staged with spectacular flair…flush with warmth and wit…a colorful storybook that can be savored.” —Stage Raw
“Insightful and modern… hilarious and captivating… a work of great art.” —The Orange Curtain Review
“Highly imaginative…full of adventure…Solis’ story is epic…as transformative as it is heartbreaking.” —Gia on the Move
National Reviews
“A brilliant reinterpretation of a classic. It's rare that you come across a new adaptation of a classic text that feels groundbreaking and new while still retaining the heart of the original.” –BroadwayWorld
“This vivid response to the persistent call of one of the great tales in literature is as densely textured as it is often entertaining and touching.” –The Denver Post
“There may be few places on Earth where hope and despair run so closely parallel to each other, and who better to illustrate it with a bit of humor than the original windmill tilter?” –OnStage Colorado
“The wistful, whimsical Quixote Nuevo casts a winning spell with a reimagined tale of Cervantes' dreamer hero.” –Metro Weekly
“No one summons the epic grandeur of the Southwest like Solis, and that’s what elevates this quest into the heart of Quixote.” –The Mercury News
“Quixote Nuevo, penned by esteemed Mexican American playwright Octavio Solis, tackles a lot of heady issues in its 150-minute run time: The stress of caring for someone with dementia, the inevitability of death, the dignity of being allowed to die on one’s own terms — even when those terms make sense to no one but you.” –DC Theater Arts
“Surrender to it all. Observe, listen from the heart, resist the urge to fight or flee what challenges. We all arrive with our biases, beliefs, and preferences; allowing space for Nuevo’s storytelling through performer’s body language, tone of voice, and authenticity opens a teachable moment.” –In Good Taste Denver
Portland Center Stage is committed to identifying & interrupting instances of racism & all forms of oppression, through the principles of inclusion, diversity, equity, & accessibility (IDEA).
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