EVERYBODY DRINKS THE SAME WATER,
BUT NOT EVERYBODY BATHES
“While Spaniards under Muslim rule luxuriated in hot water soaks at local bath houses, one chronicler sniffed at
the primitive hygiene of Europeans elsewhere, ‘[who] do
not keep themselves clean and only wash once or twice
a year in cold water. They do not wash their clothes once
they have put them on until they fall to pieces on them.’”
–Chris Lowney, A Vanished World: Muslims, Christians,
and Jews in Medieval Spain
Objects in the Trunk
Abu Hassan had to leave Cordoba in a hurry, abandoning
most of his belongings. The beautiful trunk he left behind contains a collection of intriguing treasures:
Discussion Questions
1. Imagine living in a city without clean, abundant, running water.
How would life be different? Are you aware of any challenges
to the quality and/or quantity of our water supply today?
2. Where do you see examples of religious intolerance/conflict
and tolerance/collaboration in today’s world?
Writing Prompts
1. The Qadi in Water talks about how tolerant and respectful
Cordovans are, but when faced with life or death circumstances, the characters express fear and hatred towards
people of other religions. Write about a situation you have
observed or experienced in which fear negatively affected
relationships.
2. Prince Alfonso probably never had a Jewish or Muslim friend
before he met Leah and Fatima. Write about a friendship you
have made with someone who is very different from yourself.
Research Activities
Astrolabe
Invented by the ancient Greeks
and introduced to the Middle East
in the 8th century CE, the astrolabe is an astrological instrument
used to determine the position of
the sun and other celestial bodies.
Zanfoña
Also known as the hurdy
gurdy, this musical instrument
with strings and a keyboard may
have originated in Spain. Its
droning sound is featured in
Water’s musical score.
everybody
drinks
the same
water
world
premiere
by stephanie ansin &
fernando calzadilla
Choreography by Octavio Campos
1. Unfortunately, religious tolerance did not last long in Spain.
Research what happened to Jews and Muslims after 1236.
What lessons can we learn from this aspect of Spanish history, and how can we use them to help us improve our world
today?
Original Music and Sound Design
by Luciano Stazzone
Set, Costume & Lighting Design
by Fernando Calzadilla
Directed by Stephanie Ansin
2. Research the Roman aqueducts and two additional irrigation
systems from different parts of the world and time periods.
Compare and contrast how the systems were built and how
they function.
Group Project
Many of the historical figures mentioned in this study guide
were “polymaths” or “Renaissance men.” Working in a group,
look up those two terms and compile a list of individuals from
different centuries that fit the definitions. Create a panel presentation about what you have learned.
Chess
A two-player strategy game played
on a checkered board, chess originated in India, spread to the Middle
East, and then became popular
throughout the Muslim world.
Scented Oil
Everyone in Cordoba
applied oils such as
orange, jasmine, rose,
and frankincense to
their skin and clothes,
enjoying both aromatic and medicinal
benefits.
EverybodyWater_Studyguide_v7.indd 1
Dioscorides’
De Materia Medica
In 70 CE, Dioscorides (c. 40–
90), a physician, pharmacologist,
and botanist from today’s Turkey,
wrote a five-volume encyclopedia containing detailed information about animal, mineral, and
plant medicines. In 949, the
Byzantine Emperor Constantine
VII (905-959) sent a copy of the
encyclopedia to Caliph Abd alRahman III in Cordoba. Unfortunately, nobody in Cordoba could
read the text because it was
written in Greek, so the Emperor
sent over a monk named Nicolas
to help. He collaborated with
a team of scholars - including
Hasdai Ibn Shaprut – to create
an Arabic translation.
Further Reading
O’Callaghan, Joseph F. Reconquest and Crusade in Medieval Spain,
Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2003.
Lowney, Chris. A Vanished World: Muslims, Christians, and Jews in
Medieval Spain, New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.
Jayyusi, Salma K. and Marín, Manuela, eds. The Legacy of Muslim
Spain, Leiden: Brill, 1992.
Tufayl, Ibn. Hayy Ibn Yaqzan: A Philosophical Tale, Chicago: University
of Chicago Press, 2009.
Miami Theater Center
9806 NE 2nd Avenue
Miami Shores, FL 33138
(305) 751-9550
mtcmiami.org
study guide
Common Core Standards
Theatre 6-8.H.1, 9-12.H.1; 6-8.S.1, 9-12.S.1
Reading/Language Arts 6-8.2.1, 9-10.2.1, 11-12.2.1; 6-8.4.1, 9-10.4.1, 11-12.4.1
2013–14
4/11/14 10:17 AM
The Story
A Brief History of Cordoba
Water
Everybody Drinks the Same Water takes place in Cordoba, a
city in southern Spain. The action begins on June 21, 1236.
Fernando III of Leon and Castille, a Christian king from northern Spain, has just taken power from a Muslim ruler, Abu Hassan, and moved into the alcazar (see photo) with his mother,
Queen Berenguela, and his son, Prince Alfonso. Moments
after entering the castle, Berenguela’s lady-in-waiting discovers that the alcazar has running water, a technology that has
not yet reached northern Spain. She excitedly offers the king a
glass. He drinks it and immediately falls gravely ill. Berenguela
assumes that her son has been poisoned and begins to call on
all her resources to help her discover the culprit.
Evidence of settlement in Cordoba dates back to around
3000 BCE. The Romans conquered the area in 206 BCE,
and Jews entered the region for the first time in 70 BCE
when the Romans forced a large migration from Jerusalem
to Cordoba. In early 5th century CE, the Visigoths, a Germanic tribe from northern Europe, took control of Cordoba
and the entire Iberian Peninsula, today’s Spain and Portugal. In 711, Berbers, Muslims from North Africa, entered
Southern Spain and overthrew the Visigoths, who had recently converted to Christianity. As a result, Spain became
the site of the first encounter of Christians, Muslims, and
Jews on western soil.
Among the Roman’s many important contributions to the
development of Cordoba are the two aqueducts they constructed in the 1st century BCE. These man-made channels used gravity to transport about 6.6 million gallons of
water from the mountains to the city every day. That equals
the capacity of 275,000 standard bathtubs!
ALCAZAR a Spanish fortress or palace; origin: Spanish alcázar from
Arabic al-qaṣr, the castle. www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary
The Characters
Fernando III of Castile and
Leon (1199–1252) was the
son of Berenguela of Castile and
Alfonso IX of Leon. Although the
action of the play revolves around
King Fernando, we never actually
see him on stage.
Berenguela of Castile
(1180–1246) was a shrewd
politician and military strategist.
She helped her son unite the
kingdoms of Castile and Leon,
designed the military campaign
that led to his taking Cordoba,
and governed the country with
him until she died.
Elvira Rodriguez (d.1255)
provided the name for Berenguela’s
lady-in-waiting. Her father, Gonzalo
Rodríguez Girón, was the equivalent
of Chief of Staff for Fernando, Berenguela, and her father, Alfonso VIII.
Tello Alfonso de Meneses
(no data) is the historical
reference for Rodrigo, a knight in
Water’s fictional court. Wealthy
and noble, the Meneses were very
loyal to Berenguela’s family.
EverybodyWater_Studyguide_v7.indd 2
Cordoba’s Contributions
to Society
Alfonso X of Castile and Leon
(1221–1284), Fernando III’s son, accompanied his father during the siege
of Cordoba. He was left in charge of
the city when Fernando got sick and
returned home to Leon. (Fernando gets
poisoned in the play, but according
to history, he suffered from a chronic
illness.) Alfonso later moved to Toledo
where he established the School of
Translators for scholars of all ethnicities
and religions. He is known as Alfonso
El Sabio (“The Wise”).
Everybody Drinks the Same Water is an invention of the
writers’ imaginations, but many of the characters were inspired by real people documented in historical records:
The Doctor
combines two
of Cordoba’s
famous Jewish citizens:
Hasdai Ibn
Shaprut (915–970), a diplomat
and physician in the court
of Muslim ruler Caliph Abd
al-Rahman III (891–961), and
Mosheh ben Maimon (aka
Maimonides) (1135–1204), a
rabbi, physician, philosopher,
and astronomer.
Leah and Fatima are the only
characters without specific
historical references. Their professions were chosen from the
limited range of options available to women at the time. Leah,
the Doctor’s niece, is studying
to be a midwife. Fatima, the
Qadi’s daughter, works as a
copyist at court.
The Qadi (Arabic for
judge) is modeled after
Ibn Rushd (aka Averroes) (1126–198),
a Muslim physician,
philosopher, astronomer, geographer,
physicist, and qadi,
and Ibn Tufayl (c.
1105 – 1185), a
Muslim philosopher,
physician, court official, theologian, and
novelist.
Building upon the Roman foundation, Cordovans developed one of the most advanced water systems in the
world. They irrigated seeds imported from the Middle East
and Egypt, transforming the dry Spanish countryside into
lush fields and vegetable gardens. Water also flowed freely
in beautiful fountains and bathhouses throughout the city.
Literacy
During the 5th century CE, Visigoths and Ostrogoths set
fire to libraries across Western Europe and destroyed important classical Greek texts. Fortunately, copies of many
of these books were safe in the cultural capitals of the Islamic world. When Muslims conquered southern Spain,
they reconnected the West with its lost literary heritage,
and by the 10th century, the main library of Cordoba had
400,000 hand-written books. In Northern Spain, only the
Christian clergy and nobility could read and write, but nearly all the people of Cordoba were literate.
Philosophy
The Ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle was particularly
influential on early Islamic thinkers. Jewish and Christian
scholars translated Arabic versions of his texts into Latin,
and philosophers of all three faiths expanded upon his system to create powerful intellectual tools for proving the existence of God through scientific inquiry.
By the 10th century CE, Cordoba had become the greatest city in Europe. While the next largest city in Western
Europe had a population of 10,000, half a million people lived in Cordoba, and the city boasted paved and lit
streets; public hospitals; libraries; thousands of mosques,
churches, and synagogues; 900 public bathhouses; over
2,000 private residences; 10,000 artisan shops; and the
nickname “The Ornament of the World.”
“People of the Book”
Judaism, Christianity, and Islam were all born in the Middle
East, and when Cordoba was under Muslim rule, followers
of the three faiths were referred to as “people of the book”
because of their religions’ shared origins in the Hebrew
Bible.
Medical Science
Cordoba had 50 hospitals that both treated patients and
trained doctors. Medicine was far more advanced than in
other parts of Europe and clearly illustrated the multi-religious, multi-ethnic spirit of collaboration.
Art
Islam discourages the representation of
people and animals in religious texts and
architecture. As a result, Islamic artists
created a tradition of intricate geometric
designs and rhythmic patterns. The main
set piece in Water is a giant, rotating tile
with an Islamic design.
4/11/14 10:18 AM