Playwright Octavio Solis To Talk About 'Quixote' -- And Growing Up On The Border

I’m looking forward to a lively conversation with playwright Octavio Solis at the Mark Twain House on Farmington Ave. in Hartford on Monday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m.

Solis is a playwright I’ve admired and his new play is one that really captures my attention. Inspired by “Don Quixote” he has created “Quixote Nuevo,” his contemporary take on the Spanish classic, which begins reviews at Hartford Stage which begins previews Sept. 19, opens Sept. 27 and runs through Oct. 13.

The new play is described: “‘Quixote Nuevo’ is set in the fictional modern-day border town of La Plancha, Texas, where Don Quixote loses himself in stories of chivalrous escapades and embarks upon a quest of imagination, adventure, and Tejano music. Along the way he recruits a hapless but trusty sidekick in his search for lost love. As the community wrestles with containing Quixote’s fantasies, he, his family and friends discover the joys and perils of being the hero of your own story.”

The talk is part of the “A Little Harmless Fun” series of casual conversations that the Twain House is hosting.

Solis will be reading from “Retablos: Stories from a Life Lived on the Border,” his new book of short essays about his growing up in El Paso, Texas. It’s a terrific book: funny, touching, surprising, funny, sad, and very human. He’ll also be talking about his new play, and life growing up on the border.

Among Solis’ other more than two dozen plays performed around the country are: “Lydia,” “Santos & Santos,” “Alicia’s Miracle.” “Dreamlandia,” “El Paso Blue” and “Man of the Flesh.” He also contributed to Pixel’s “Coco.”

Copies of Solis’s 2018 book, the source of his play, will be available for sale and signing following the talk.

Tickets are just $10. Information: www.marktwainhiouse.org and 860-247-0998.