'Man of La Mancha' produced, performed solely by students

The lyrics to "The Impossible Dream," "To dream the impossible dream/to fight the unbeatable foe/to bear with unbearable sorrow/to run where the brave dare not go," are more than just words to the cast of the Union Board's student production of "The Man of La Mancha," which opens this weekend. They are a mantra. \nEvery fall semester, Union Board secures the rights to a musical, books performance space and grants one lucky group of students a unique opportunity to create and produce a musical with little to no professional aid. With slightly more than two months rehearsal time and a modest budget, the group of students faced the challenge of learning that there is more than perfect pitch required to create a musical of which they can be proud.\n"The Man of La Mancha," written by Dale Wasserman with lyrics by Joe Darion and music by Mitch Leigh, is a musical based on the adventures of Don Quixote. It is a story of life, love and the pursuit of happiness complete with vibrant three-dimensional characters, haunting melodies and action-packed sequences.\n"The Man of La Mancha," playing at 8 p.m. Friday and 2 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, will be senior Ashley Waldman's first time as director, choreographer, prop and costume designer and all around go-to girl. \n"We started this production without our entire artistic team intact, and, for me, that meant having to wear many hats," Waldman said. \nWhile Waldman said she is thrilled by her hard-working cast and the show they're putting together, the production has not been easy. \n"One of the most challenging things thus far has been figuring out how to keep my composure under all the stress while maintaining a position of authority with my peers," she said.\nSophomore Chris Nelson is portraying Don Quixote in his third appearance in an IU production. Nelson agreed that remaining professional without breaching the lines of friendship can create tension among the cast. \n"Dealing with the line between professionalism and friendship has proven difficult, but not impossible," Nelson said.\nJunior Allison Hupp, a chorus member, conceded that everyone's willingness to work counterbalanced the difficulties of maintaining professionalism and keeping on task in what is virtually a cast of friends. \n"Fortunately, people have been taking responsibility to get things done," Hupp said. \nThe stresses of a musical production extend beyond what one might imagine. There are scenes to direct, characters to cultivate, costumes to obtain and music to perfect. Usually people are specifically trained to deal with the different aspects of producing a play. In a student production, making all the details come together is more of a team effort, and that camaraderie is exactly what these determined students have been experiencing.\nThe production difficulties of "The Man of La Mancha" might imply that the show has flop potential written all over it, but cast members, directors and avid theater supporters disagree. The moral this show conveys is simple and timeless yet easily forgotten in everyday life. \n"I think everyone can identify with Don Quixote on some level," Waldman said. "People get so caught up in the everyday accepted behaviors and expectations that they forget that dreaming is all right." \n-- Contact staff writer Allison Rose Davis at alrdavis@indiana.edu.