The Northern State University Theater Department’s fall 2018 musical, "Man of La Mancha" was one of the final Northern productions to be directed by longtime NSU Theater Director Daniel Yurgaitis.

Yurgaitis will retire at the end of this academic year after nearly 50 years of directing and theater work.

“Man of La Mancha” was performed Oct. 17-20 in the Johnson Fine Arts Center Harvey and Cynthia Jewett Theater.

“Dan is a very encouraging and creative director, who I've had the pleasure of working with for the past four years,” said Christine Powers, the actress playing Aldonza. “With the past production of ‘Man of La Mancha,’ he helped me connect with Aldonza's past and her reasoning behind her actions by asking questions I hadn't considered.”

As one of the most honored musicals of the American theater, “Man of La Mancha” celebrates the perseverance of one man who refuses to relinquish his ideals, and who is determined to see life “not as it is, but as it ought to be.” 

Inspired by Miguel de Cervantes’ novel written during the Spanish Inquisition, “Man of La Mancha” is a story based out of cultural phenomenon in full throes despite socially oppressive downswings in Spain, in which society relied heavily on heroic derring-do stories for entertainment and escapism.

The cast was comprised of 19 Northern students and 16 music students and community members, with musical direction and conducting by Michael Skyles. In addition to design and production work by NSU Theater faculty and staff, Tony Stoeri, guest lighting designer from Minneapolis, was in residence through opening night as a visiting artist.

The production was directed by NSU Professor of Theater Daniel Yurgaitis. With a B.A. in speech and drama from DePaul University and an MFA in theatre/directing from the United States International University in San Diego, Yurgaitis has directed shows like Drowsy Chaparone, Love's Labour's Lost, The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee, Phantom of the Opera,and Xanadufor Northern State; as well as community shows around the Midwest such as The Fantasticks, The Marvelous Wonderettes, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Chicago.

“Stories like these really depict the kind of power that plays have,” said Yurgaitis. “Despite covering a social state that happened centuries ago, it shows just how quickly plays and theaters respond to political situations–as well as how they help us understand them.”