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LOOKINGGLASS THEATRE COMPANY ANNOUNCES CAST AND CREATIVE TEAM FOR THE WORLD PREMIERE OF
CIRCUS QUIXOTE
JANUARY 30 - MARCH 30, 2025
CELEBRATING THE REOPENING OF LOOKINGGLASS AND ITS RENOVATED LOBBY, BAR AND CAFÉ FOLLOWING A YEARLONG PAUSE IN OPERATIONS
Single Tickets are Now on Sale for the New Production Adapted and Directed by Kerry and David Catlin with Circus by Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi and
Featuring an Ensemble led by Michel Rodríguez Cintra
Circus Quixote is recommended for audiences 5 years and older
The estimated running time is two hours and 15 minutes including one intermission.
Lookingglass Theatre Company and The Actors Gymnasium have been family favorites of ours for decades. We're beyond excited to welcome Lookingglass back after a hiatus. We've also long been fans of the creativity and vision of Kerry and David Catlin, the husband/wife team who adapted and directed this piece, and Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi who provided the circus elements. We can not wait to catch Circus Quixote! Save the dates and don't miss this.
After pausing its operations last year to reorganize and create a new business model, Chicago’s Tony-Award winning Lookingglass Theatre Company, in association with The Actors Gymnasium, is proud to announce the cast and creative team for the world premiere of Circus Quixote, January 30 - March 30, 2025, in the Lookingglass’ Joan and Paul Theatre at Water Tower Water Works, 163 E. Pearson St. at Michigan Ave.
The renovated lobby, bar and café will reopen Thursday, Jan, 30, as well, with its menu and programming to be announced in the coming months. Based on Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quijote of La Mancha, adapted and directed by Kerry and David Catlin with circus by Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi and featuring Michel Rodríguez Cintra, Micah Figueroa, Julian Hester, Laura Murillo Hart, Andrea San Miguel, Ayana Strutz and Eduardo Martinez.
Circus Quixote has previews Thursday, Jan. 30 - Saturday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 2 at 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 5 - Friday, Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m. Opening night is Saturday, Feb. 8 at 6 p.m. The performance schedule for February 9 - March 30 is Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 7 p.m., Thursdays at 1:30 and 7 p.m., Fridays at 7 p.m., Saturdays at 1:30 and 7 p.m. and Sundays at 1:30 p.m. The estimated running time is two hours and 15 minutes including one intermission. Circus Quixote single tickets are $30 - $80 and available now along with 2024 - 2025 Season Memberscriptions (Lookingglass Theatre’s new creation combining memberships and subscriptions) at LookingglassTheatre.org.
For more than 400 years, Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quijote of La Mancha has inspired readers and cultures across the globe. Lookingglass’ production, first incubated at The Actors Gymnasium, brings this literary classic to life anew in 2025. Somewhere in La Mancha there lived a man who read so many books about chivalry that his brains dried up. In this world premiere, Lookingglass transports audiences tiltingly and acrobatically into the dreamy madness of Don Quixote and his impossible folly-filled quest to bring good-deed doing back into the world … whether the world wants it or not.
“We are incredibly excited to reopen Lookingglass, in your favorite castle on Michigan Avenue, with this hilarious and inspiring story of a mad dreaming knight and his endlessly reliable squire,” said Ensemble Member David Catlin. “We are grateful to collaborate with the Lookingglass production team, our endlessly inventive designers and Actors Gymnasium, where our courageous and widely talented actors learn to fly.”
The cast of Circus Quixote includes, in alphabetical order: Michel Rodríguez Cintra (he/him, Don Quixote); Micah Figueroa (he/him, Sanson Carrasco), Laura Murillo Hart (she/her, Dulcinea); Julian Hester (he/him, Master Nicolas); Eduardo Martinez (he/him, Cervantes/Sancho); Andrea San Miguel (she/her/they/them, Antonia) and Ayana Strutz (she/her, Sister Sofia). More information on the cast and creative teams may be found here.
The creative team of Circus Quixote is David Catlin (he/him, co-writer and director); Kerry Catlin (she/her, co-writer and associate director); Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi (she/her, circus and movement choreographer); Courtney O’Neill (scenic designer); Daphne Agosin (lighting designer); Sully Ratke (costume designer); Grover Hollway (sound designer); Kevin O’Donnell (composer); Amanda Herrmann (props supervisor); Lee Brasuell (rigging designer; Grace Needlman (puppet designer); Helen Lattyak (stage manager) and Aaron McEachran (assistant stage manager).
ABOUT DAVID CATLIN, adaptor and director
David Catlin is a founding ensemble member, actor, writer, director, and former artistic director of Lookingglass. Caitlin adapted and directed Lookingglass Alice, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and Moby Dick. Other Lookingglass writing credits include: Icarus, Her Name Was Danger and the idiot (Jeff Award for Adaptation). Additional Lookingglass directing credits include: The Little Prince, Black Diamond (co-director), Metamorphosis, The Master and Margarita (co-director) and West. He is an artistic associate with The Actors Gymnasium and serves as head of undergraduate acting at Northwestern University.
ABOUT KERRY CATLIN, adaptor and director
Kerry Catlin is thrilled to be working at Lookingglass again where she has served as master teacher, education co-director, director of Lookingglass Young Ensemble and assistant director of development. She has written, adapted and directed four circuses at The Actors Gymnasium including Circus Quixotic, All the Time in the World and a circus adaptation of Mary Zimmerman’s The Odyssey. Catlin serves on the board of directors for The Actors Gymnasium and teaches English and research at Walter Payton College Prep, a Chicago public school.
ABOUT SYLVIA HERNANDEZ-DISTASI, circus
Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi is artistic director and co-founder of The Actors Gymnasium. She also serves as master teacher and director of The Professional Circus Training Program and is a faculty member at Northwestern University’s Department of Theatre. Hernandez-DiStasi is a second generation circus performer who grew up touring with various circuses, including Ringling Bros and Barnum & Bailey. In 2019, she and her family, The Hernandez Troupe, were inducted into the Circus Ring of Fame for their monumental contributions to the world of circus. She is an ensemble member of the Tony Award-winning Lookingglass Theatre Company since 1999, where she has worked on over 20 productions. She has received four Joseph Jefferson Awards for her work with Lookingglass (Lookingglass Alice, Hard Times, Baron in the Trees) and Marriott Theatre (All Night Strut), and a total of five Joseph Jefferson nominations. In 2018, she won a Los Angeles Drama Critics Circle Award and a Robby Award, both for designing the acrobatic/aerial choreography of the South Coast Repertory staging of Moby Dick. Other theater credits include The Lyric Opera, Writer’s Theatre, Steppenwolf, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, Chicago Children’s Theater and The Goodman. She is the recipient of The 3Arts Award for Design (2014) and also received an Award of Honor for Outstanding Contributions by The Illinois Theater Association.
ABOUT MICHEL RODRÍGUEZ CINTRA, “DON QUIXOTE”
Michel Rodríguez Cintra is an award-winning Cuban born dancer, actor, circus performer and educator. Rodríguez Cintra is currently a visiting assistant professor at NIU with the School of Theater and Dance and faculty at the Actors Gymnasium. He graduated from Escuela Nacional de Arte (National School of Arts) in Havana, Cuba with a degree in dance performance. In Cuba, he performed with Danza Contemporánea de Cuba where he became principal dancer and toured internationally. Since moving to Chicago, Rodríguez Cintra has danced with various companies including Hedwig Dances, Concert Dance Inc, Khecari, The Cambrians and Hubbard Street Dance Chicago. Later, he joined Lucky Plush Productions, a nationally recognized Chicago-based dance-theater company. His dance creations have been seen at Visceral Dance Chicago, Dancing in the Parks, Lit & Luz Live Festival , LatinX Chicago Arts Festival and The Harvest Chicago Contemporary Dance Festival. His work in theater includes the Chicago International Puppet Theater Festival and Lookingglass Theatre Company’s Lookingglass Alice, which was recorded, and aired as a PBS special. Other accolades are his inclusion in “The Men of 2010 in Dance” by Time Out Chicago, 3Arts Award in Dance, Dance Magazine’s “25 to Watch 2014” and a Jeff Award nomination.
ABOUT THE JOAN AND PAUL THEATRE
The main stage at the Water Tower Water Works has been named in honor of longtime Lookingglass supporters Joan and Paul Rubschlager and their transformational gift to ensure the future of Lookingglass. The couple have been instrumental in their partnership with Chicago organizations, such as Rush University and The Field Museum. Nationally, their support extends to the American Heart Association and Alzheimer's Association. The Joan and Paul Theatre reconfigures the stage and audience seating as dictated by the needs of each season, with a capacity of 200 persons including the balcony.
ABOUT THE ACTORS GYMNASIUM
Founded in 1995, The Actors Gymnasium has grown to become one of the nation’s premiere circus and performing arts training centers. Dedicated to bringing a new physicality to the American theatre, through developing physical performers and encouraging ground-breaking theatrical exploration, The Actors Gymnasium promotes its core values of creativity, community and courage across three program areas: classes, shows and event entertaining.
ABOUT LOOKINGGLASS THEATRE COMPANY
Founded in 1988 by graduates of Northwestern University, Lookingglass Theatre Company is a nationwide leader in the creation and presentation of new, cutting-edge theatrical works and in sharing its ensemble-based theatrical techniques with Chicago-area students and teachers through Education and Community Programs. Guided by an artistic vision centered on the core values of collaboration, transformation and invention, Lookingglass seeks to capture audiences’ imaginations leaving them changed, charged and empowered.
Recipient of the 2011 Tony Award for Outstanding Regional Theatre, Lookingglass has built a national reputation for artistic excellence and ensemble-based theatrical innovation. Notable world premieres include Mary Zimmerman’s Tony Award-winning Metamorphoses and The Odyssey, J. Nicole Brooks' Her Honor Jane Byrne, David Schwimmer’s adaptation of Upton Sinclair’s The Jungle and Studs Terkel’s Race: How Blacks and Whites Think and Feel about the American Obsession, Matthew C. Yee's Lucy and Charlie's Honeymoon and David Catlin’s circus tribute to Lewis Carroll, Lookingglass Alice, which was captured by HMS Media and reached 1.6 million PBS viewers.Looking Alice is now available to more than four million students worldwide through Digital Theatre+. Work created by Lookingglass artists has been produced in Australia, Europe and dozens of cities throughout the Unite States.
MORE FROM LOOKINGGLASS
WORLD PREMIERE
Iraq, But Funny
May 29 – July 20, 2025
Joan and Paul Theatre at Water Tower Water Works, 163 E. Pearson St. at Michigan Ave.
Written by Atra Asdou
Directed Dalia Ashurina
A raucous satire about five generations of Assyrian women reclaiming their stories, as narrated by a British guy. Making its world premiere at Lookingglass Theatre, Ensemble Member Atra Asdou’s original dark comedy jauntily marches through the Ottoman Empire to modern-day U.S.A. exploring history, family and dysfunction.
Lookingglass Young Ensemble
March 2025
The Lookingglass Young Ensemble (YE) is a group of Chicago-area young adults, ages 13-18 years old, committed to building their theater skills, lifting their voices and developing their creativity through collaborative creation. Three months of rehearsal and ensemble-building amongst this incredible group of artists will culminate in three public performances.
Lookingglass Outdoors
Summer 2025
Lookingglass takes their art outside the historic Water Tower Water Works and into the neighborhoods through special events like Sunset 1919, educational opportunities like summer camp and recurring programs that tour around town. This summer, Lookingglass continues its ambitious video project to bring Chicago together despite the lines that divide us, 50 Wards: A Civic Mosaic. The series currently has 10 wards available for viewing at LookingglassTheatre.org.
Circus Quixote production sponsors include Greg Thompson & Greg Cameron and Marla Mendelson, M.D. & Stephen Wolf.
The 2024 - 2025 season sponsors are Joan & Paul Rubschlager, Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, HMS Media, Waldorf Astoria, Chicago and the City of Chicago.
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
Lookingglass Theatre Company presents
Circus Quixote
Produced in association with The Actors Gymnasium
January 30 - March 30, 2025
Joan and Paul Theatre at Water Tower Water Works, 163 E. Pearson St. at Michigan Ave. Based on Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quijote of La Mancha
Adapted and directed by Kerry and David Catlin
Circus by Sylvia Hernandez-DiStasi
Featuring Michel Rodríguez Cintra, Micah Figueroa, Julian Hester, Laura Murillo Hart, Andrea San Miguel, Ayana Strutz and Eduardo Martinez
Previews: Thursday, Jan. 30 - Saturday, Feb. 1 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Feb. 2 at 1:30 p.m., Wednesday, Feb. 5 - Friday, Feb. 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Opening night is Saturday, Feb. 8 at 6 p.m.
Performance schedule for February 9 - March 30 is
Tuesdays at 7 p.m.
Wednesdays at 7 p.m.
Thursdays at 1:30 and 7 p.m.
Fridays at 7 p.m.
Saturdays at 1:30 and 7 p.m.
Sundays at 1:30 p.m.
Mask Required Performances: Friday, Feb. 21 and Wednesday, March 12 at 7 p.m. Open Caption Performance: Wednesday, March 5 at 7 p.m.
Audio Described and Touch Tour: Saturday, March 8 at 1:30 p.m.
Website: LookingglassTheatre.org
Single tickets are $30 - $80 and are available at
LookingglassTheatre.org/event/circus-quixote/.
Memberscriptions (Lookingglass Theatre’s new creation combining memberships and subscriptions) are available for the 2024 - 2025 Season a LookingglassTheatre.org/memberscriptions.
Circus Quixote production sponsors include Greg Thompson & Greg Cameron and Marla Mendelson, M.D. & Stephen Wolf.
The 2024 - 2025 season sponsors are Joan & Paul Rubschlager, Shirley Ryan Ability Lab, HMS Media, Waldorf Astoria, Chicago and the City of Chicago.
