Creating "Man of La Mancha" at Asolo Repertory Theatre

David Covach, Fabian Fidel Aguilar and Peter Rothstein

Asolo Rep's costume designer brunches are always great fun. I love getting a sneak peek at costumes I'll be seeing onstage and hearing how the designs were developed. The brunch for "Man of La Mancha" was even more special because it was a three-fer. We were treated first to some background from Peter Rothstein about his reimagining of the musical. Rothstein is director of the show and will be Asolo Rep's new Producting Artistic Director come June. He previously produced and directed "Man of La Mancha" at Theater Latte Da, the Minneapolis theater that was his artistic home for the last 25 years. Then Fabian Fidel Aguilar shared how the costumes for the show were designed, with Costume Shop Manager David Covach explaining how they moved from Aguilar's brain and sketches to the stage.

Aguilar's vision for Cervantes/Don Quixote

I've never seen "Man of La Mancha" nor -- surprise, surprise -- have I read Cervantes' "Don Quixote." So I appreciated the synopsis Rothstein provided. It is a story within a story about a group of prisoners awaiting interrogation in connection with the Inquisition. While there, Cervantes and the other prisoners distract themselves by acting out the story of Don Quixote, a man who imagines himself a knight fighting to protect the helpless and to restore chivalry to the world. It definitely feels like a message for our time. 

Rothstein got the idea to revive and reframe the show after attending an international theater festival in Guanajuato, Mexico. The work of Cervantes is always featured at the festival, and Don Quixote is a noticeable part of the culture in the city. There's even a Don Quixote museum. Rothstein saw his task as capturing the globalization of this story -- and Quixote's dreams -- for today's times. In Rothstein's version, the group is being held in an immigration detention center. Aguilar's charge was to create costumes that would depict this modern day setting and then seamlessly transport the characters (and the audience) to the early 17th century. 

Pre-Don Quixote costume

Aguilar's background is not what you might expect for a costume designer. As a kid, Aguilar kept a journal with drawings of clothing he wished existed. But pursuing a career in art was not his dream. Instead, he wanted to be an astrobiologist. He ended up studying psychology in college, although he took a drama class or two along the way and continued to be interested in dressing the characters. Aguilar was practical, though, and got a job at an ad agency. Although he didn't feel any passion for what he was doing, he was good at it and found himself working his way up the corporate ladder. 

A friend studying at the Yale School of Drama encouraged Aguilar to apply. But Aguilar was busy, and the time never seemed right. One day he received an unexpected email from Yale. They had received his application and would like for him to submit 40 images of his work. What???  Yes, his friend had secretly submitted an application on his behalf. The rest, as they say, is history.

Becoming Don Quixote

Fast forward to the production of "Man of La Mancha" at Asolo Rep. One of the challenges of the show is that many costume changes take place in full view of the audience as the characters morph from present day to circa 1605. In thinking about this task, Aguilar envisioned what people from that era would wear if  they suddenly found themselves in today's world. Cervantes, for instance, is introduced to the audience wearing a flannel shirt and ripped jeans (styled from a pair Aguilar saw a guy on the subway wearing). He also sports a hat as a precursor to Quixote's helmet. (Aguilar shared that hats are the nemesis of sound designers as the mics can easily shift out of place when the headwear is put on and taken off.) 

When the characters transition from the present to the past, they will add layers to their original costume. We had the opportunity to see that transformation take place as members of the costume department dressed Don Quixote from a wardrobe hanging nearby. I suspect a fair amount of rehearsal time will be spent working on these quick changes. 

Aguilar's vision of Aldonza's wardrobe 

Covach explained that once he began receiving drawings from Aguilar, he started his process, thinking both about the look and its comfort. What pieces could be repurposed from the theatre's voluminous inventory? What could he buy from Target or Macys or Amazon that might work? What would have to be built in-house? At the end of the day, the doublet worn by Quixote and some of Aldonza's wardrobe had to be created from scratch. 

Rothstein shared one final note before the group set about the rest of the day. When the full cast sings "The Impossible Dream," it will be done in multiple languages that reflect the population of Sarasota, including Ukrainian, Korean and Spanish. The mere thought of it makes me emotional. This is one show I can't wait to see. 

For information about Asolo Rep's production of "Man of La Mancha" (and to purchase tickets), click here. The page includes a couple of additional drawings by Aguilar and a link to an interview with Rothstein. And for information about what's coming up next season at Asolo Rep, click here. I'm already looking forward to it.