Spanish puppet theater to perform "Don Quijote"

A unique puppet show, performed in Spanish, will have two free performances on the Allendale Campus.

“Quijóteres: The Ingenious Puppet Don Quijote de La Mancha” performs:

Wednesday, November 20 at  7 p.m. in Cook-DeWitt
Friday, November 22 at 7 p.m. in 102 Manitou Hall
Both performances will be followed by a Q&A session

Jason Yancey has discovered that students’ abilities and confidence in speaking a foreign language are greatly enhanced by using puppets. The assistant professor of Spanish has expanded his idea from a course he teaches, where students write, produce and perform their own puppet shows.

This show is Yancey’s own creation, including writing the adaptation of “Don Quijote,” creating each of the nine puppets, and casting four students to perform them with him: Caleb Duckworth, Katie Munoz, Lindsey Viviano and Russell Cerda. He said the word “Quijóteres” is a hybridization of “Quijote” and the Spanish word for puppets, “títeres.”

“This has been a very unique opportunity for me,” said Yancey, who received a grant from the Center for Scholarly and Creative Excellence to purchase materials for building the puppets and improving his traveling stage. “I’m eager to share something very special with the campus community.”

Community performances are a big part of both the students’ and Yancey’s puppet shows. “Quijóteres” will be performed at area elementary schools and the group was invited in October for an expense-paid trip to Buena Vista University in Iowa to perform at several venues and conduct a series of puppetry workshops.

For more information, contact Jason Yancey at [email protected], or phone (616) 331-3372.