Updates from Rehearsal

Now that our second week of rehearsal for Don Quichotte is wrapping up, we thought it'd be a good time to head down to the rehearsal studio and chat with director Linda Brovsky about the experience so far. Here's what she had to say.

What has been the biggest surprise for you so far, in working on this production?
The first two weeks of rehearsal have been a blast. The cast has been just a delight to work with and I love their inventiveness, and I think the big surprise was how quickly they adapted to the concept and went with the concept. The horse and donkey have made huge progress in learning their staging, as well, and I think everyone is calmer about how the two will adapt to the stage, because they went from wondering, "Who are these strange people in our stable?" to everyone being on a hug-and-kiss basis.

What was the experience like at the stables?
We brought props, saddles, instruments, spears, swords, and helmets to the stables. You name it, we brought it. And we did the staging and sang through and actually staged the animals, all in the stables. They worked with shields and lances and blankets and seemed to be fine with all of that, but we did find out that the donkey hates the mandolin, so that was taken out of one of the scenes. It truly was the one thing that Millie would not stand. She gets very skittish and wants to get out of there as fast as possible—even if she just sees it. It’s not the sound, it’s just seeing it.

Director Linda Brovsky and Don Quichotte cast member, Desperado. He plays Rocinante, Don Quixote's trusty horse.
Check out more pictures of the cast at the stables here.
Photo by Bill Mohn

So what's in store for the next week of rehearsal?
Hopefully by the end of tomorrow we will have the first scene of Act 2 done, and then I have the death scene to stage and then we start run-throughs, first with principals and then with chorus adding in. And then we move into the theater on Friday with everybody!


We'll check back in with Linda next week for more updates on the production, but in the meantime, we kick off another week of our "Quixote's Quest" scavenger hunt on Monday. It could land you a pair of free tickets to Don Quichotte, so keep an eye out for the first clue, which will be posted here at 10 a.m., as well as on our Facebook and Twitter pages.