JUNE 11 - 27, 2010
Fri. & Sat. - 8:00 PM
Sun. - 7:00 PM
Special $5 Thursday performance - June 24th - 8:00 PM

Hunger Artists presents the World Premiere of Jason Lindner's reinvention of the classic Don Quixote tale. Donald Quitten, an elderly Long Island Republican, believes himself to be a hero of the Wild West, "Sixgun" Q.

CAST
Don Q -- Frank Valdez, Jr.
Ponch -- David Yu
The Drifter -- Mark Coyan
The Old Woman in Time -- Katherine McKalip
The Players -- Katie Chidester, Hayley Jackson, Paul Jasser, Kyle Hawkins, Kerri Hellmuth, and Jonathan Lucero
 

PRODUCTION CREW
Jill Johnson -- Director
Stephanie Cooke -- Assistant Director
Mark Matzkanin -- Lighting Design
Gene Rogers -- Set Design
Duncan Hutchinson -- Sound Design and Live Foley

PLEASE JOIN THE HUNGER ARTISTS THEATRE COMPANY
AS WE PRESENT WORLD PREMIERE OF THE BALLAD OF DON Q OR THE HIGH ADVENTURES OF “SIXGUN” Q
JUNE 11 – JUNE 27, 2010

FULLERTON, CA – The Hunger Artists Theatre Company is proud to present The Ballad of Don Q or The High Adventures of “Sixgun” Q by Jason Lindner directed by Hunger Artists Company Member Jill Johnson.

In this retelling of the Cervantes classic “Don Quixote” the fantasy of the old west explodes on itself. “Don Q” transposes the original enigmatic knight to modern times and in this version, Donald Quitten, though a registered Republican living on Long Island, believes himself to be “Don Q” also known as “Sixgun Q”, hero of the old west. Around him spreads a cloud of mythology until reality and fantasy are pulled at the edges of the scenes like an undertow.

Self-conscious and self-referential, Don Q relives his adventures as a popular series that never existed. Through radio broadcasts, narration and commercials for Post Toasties we unfold modern versions of the adventures that plague the protagonist in the original Quixote. With his bewildered neighbor Ponch in tow (a poor recently fired reject) and forks for spurs, Don Q is on a quest to clean the land of evil.  An air propelled “Sky Dancer” becomes an Indian brave, the beautiful Dulcinea is a barfly at a place on the interstate, and the bad man on his heels is a psychiatrist, hoping to cure him of his delusions ostensibly for his own good.

In this reconfiguration, Don Q explores a simpler time of the old west that only he can see. Our protagonist becomes a kind of Cowboy King shaping his world at whim, and at his death we find, we not only preferred his insanity we needed it in order to keep sane ourselves.

This production features Frank Valdez Jr. as Don Q and David Yu as his sidekick Ponch.  This is Frank’s first show with the Hunger Artists.  David last appeared in this year’s production of Oedipus Rex as Phaedrias at Hunger Artists.  In addition to Hunger Artist company member Katie Chidester, the players are Kerri Hellmuth, Paul Jasser, Hayley Jackson, Kyle Hawkins and Jonathon Lucero, who are all are making their Hunger Artists debuts. 

 “I am so excited to be working on another original script.” says director Jill Johnson “I love working on fresh new ideas and concepts. With Jason’s writing, he has a style that is so raw and thoughtful. When I read the script I was completely taken aback by the translation of the traditional Man of La Mancha story into the old west. It takes us back to a time where heroes and villians were larger than life. These days it seems characters are more difficult to define.”

Jill Johnson has been a Company Member of the Hunger Artists since their second show in 1998. She previously directed The Insanity of Mary Girard for the 2006 season and Beyond Convention II and wrote for Beyond Convention I.  She was the production manager for the theatre from 2004 to 2007. She has worn many different hats for many of the past productions including: set designer, lighting designer, costume designer, and sound designer.  Johnson has also produced, conceived, and appeared in the writing festival Dead Letter Office and Dead Letter Office II. Having directed the Hunger Artists 2010 season opener, Sans Merci written by Johnna Adams, this is Johnson’s second show of the season.

A Yale MFA graduate ('02), Jason's has had many plays produced across the country. “The Gog-Magog Project”, “Egyptian Rat-Screw”, and “Pledge Drive – Ruminations on Kafka’s Hunger Artist” have won a several awards and received critical acclaim. Jason has worked extensively with The Hunger Artists and is overjoyed to be produced there once more. He also spent time as the writer for New York Based Theater company - The Flying Machine - and co-wrote their adaptation of “Frankenstein”, which was nominated for 4 Drama Desk Awards and also wrote their adaptations of “Alice in Wonderland” with Theatreworks  & the Award winning “Journey to the End of the Night” which was performed as part of the New Works Now series at The Public Theatre.  He has also written with Tami Stronach’s Dance on Dance/Theatre Pieces including “The Maid and the Marmalade” and "Pinchas, The Fish People, and the Great Flood."  Other interesting credits include voice-work as a ninja army (on Ninja Nonsense) and writing for many websites including LivinginSim.com, which tells the story of heath care through the lives of Mannequins. 

 “I’m so excited to be presenting the World Premiere of “The Adventures of Don Q or ‘Sixgun’ Q at Hunger Artists,” says Artistic Director Amber Scott.  “Jason Lindner is an irreverent and hilarious playwright who cuts through our foibles to show us the vulnerable, foolish and endearing characters that people are underneath.  This show is going to be a heck of a ride.”