M a n o f L a M a n c h a

Diamond Head Theatre

2025

This production reimagined Man of La Mancha against the backdrop of the Spanish Civil War, framing the characters as members of a masked theatre troupe performing amidst political turmoil. Costumes blended 1930s realism with symbolic elements, grounding the story in history while highlighting its themes of hope and resilience.

D e s i g n A p p r o a c h

The production’s design emphasized grit and realism, with costumes muted and heavily distressed to capture the bleak atmosphere of a prison during the onset of the Spanish Civil War. Neutral earth tones and weathered textures underscored oppression and hardship, while masks and symbolic details marked the troupe’s performative storytelling. This restraint made the Moorish camp sequence especially powerful, breaking the monotony with richer color and heightened theatricality that emphasized imagination as a form of escape.

P r o c e s s H i g h l i g h t s

Distressing: Every garment was aged and weathered by hand to evoke the exhaustion and confinement of prison life.

Horse & Donkey Heads: Built from EVA foam, mop heads, baseball caps, rope, and four hinges, resourcefully combining found materials into functional masks.
Don Quixote’s Helmet: Made from a bent and painted colander strainer, with a removable feather rigged to buckle on for performance and detach for storage.
Knight of Mirrors: Helmet and gauntlets 3D printed and finished to create a imposing contrast to the show’s otherwise distressed world.