20th Century Theater: From Expressionism to Experimentalism

Posted on Sep 30, 2024 in Latin

1. Renovation of the European Scene

The 20th century saw a proliferation of reform movements in the arts, including theater. This period witnessed unprecedented changes in styles, incorporating elements that sought new forms and techniques. These changes significantly influenced contemporary Spanish theater, as well as European and American directors.

Expressionist Theater

Expressionism, a prominent avant-garde movement, flourished in Germany between 1910 and 1925. It emphasized subjectivity, discontent, and calls for a more caring society. Common themes included critiques of bourgeois society, generational struggles, war, slavery, and shadows. Expressionist theater drew inspiration from medieval drama, farce, and puppet theater.

Epic Theater

Founded by Bertolt Brecht in the 1920s, epic theater focused on political and social drama. It aimed to instruct and entertain, employing a critical spirit. Actors distanced themselves from their characters, avoiding the illusion of reality by presenting the story in a series of scenes.

Theater of Cruelty

Antonin Artaud’s Theater of Cruelty sought to end the dominance of text and reclaim the fullness of language by incorporating objects, gestures, sounds, lights, and colors. It often depicted poverty and violence.

Theater of the Absurd

Influenced by Eugène Ionesco (The Bald Soprano) and Samuel Beckett (Waiting for Godot), the Theater of the Absurd reflected existentialist philosophy. It aimed to express the anguish and absurdity of existence. Plays lacked traditional intrigue and focused on philosophical reflection.

Experimental Theater

Experimental theater explored new scenic forms, emphasizing spectacle. Visual and sound elements played a crucial role.

2. Overview of Spanish Theater in the Second Half of the 20th Century

The end of the Spanish Civil War brought an authoritarian regime that suppressed critical voices. Texts and plays were censored, leading to the rise of conformist authors. Alongside the “visible” theater, an “underground” theater emerged, though it rarely saw the light of day.

Postwar Theater Stages (1940s-1950s)

  • Persistence of high comedy in commercial theater with Enrique Jardiel Poncela.
  • Miguel Mihura’s unconventional and serious theater.

Key Dates:

  • 1949: Antonio Buero Vallejo’s Historia de una escalera (Story of a Staircase).
  • 1953: Alfonso Sastre’s Escuadra hacia la muerte (Death Squad).

In the mid-1950s, social realist and committed drama emerged, criticizing and protesting wherever possible. This “testimonial theater” resorted to formal masks to circumvent censorship, though some works were still banned.

Prominent Playwrights

  • Jacinto Benavente: A gentrifying author who created sophisticated theater for the wealthy. His work avoided criticism and aimed to entertain rather than provoke thought.
  • “Vested Interests” Humor Theater: Playwrights like José María Pemán (La coqueta y Don Simón), Joaquín Calvo Sotelo (Micaela), Juan Ignacio Luca de Tena (¿Dónde vas, Alfonso XII?), and José López Rubio (Celos del aire) catered to conservative tastes.
  • Enrique Jardiel Poncela: Sought to renew comedy by breaking with tradition. He championed an improbable, absurd, fantastical theater that opposed bourgeois realism. His plays often explored the theme of love, as seen in Tú y yo somos tres (You and I Are Three) and Los ladrones somos gente honrada (Thieves Are Honest People).
  • Miguel Mihura: Embraced the Theater of the Absurd, employing parody and caricature. His works can be categorized into three phases: Tres sombreros de copa (Three Top Hats), Ni pobre ni rico, sino todo lo contrario (Neither Poor Nor Rich, But Quite the Opposite), and Melocotón en almíbar (Peaches in Syrup).

3. Realistic Theater: Buero Vallejo and Alfonso Sastre

Both Antonio Buero Vallejo and Alfonso Sastre opposed the “theater of evasion,” which ignored the pressing issues of Spanish society. Their works confronted the reality that many preferred to avoid.

Antonio Buero Vallejo

Born in Guadalajara, Buero Vallejo’s father and brother, who held conservative views, were executed during the Civil War. He himself, a republican, was arrested in 1939 and sentenced to death, later commuted to life imprisonment. He was eventually released on probation and went on to win the Lope de Vega and Cervantes prizes. Buero Vallejo is considered one of the most significant postwar playwrights. His work explored human and social existential issues, often through the genre of tragedy. His theater emphasized truth, freedom, and hope.

Buero Vallejo’s work can be divided into three stages:

  1. Realistic Stage: Focused on contemporary reality, using real-time, specific locations, and a linear timeline. He also incorporated innovative elements. Key works include Historia de una escalera, En la ardiente oscuridad (In the Burning Darkness), and Hoy es fiesta (Today is a Holiday).
  2. Stage of Historical Reflection: Explored historical themes to reflect on the present. This allowed him to circumvent censorship and reach a wider audience. This “theater of possibility” is exemplified by Un soñador para un pueblo (A Dreamer for a People), Las Meninas, and El concierto de San Ovidio (The Concert of Saint Ovid). This stage featured temporal discontinuity and abstract settings, exploring the fate of individuals in an unjust society. La doble historia del doctor Valmy (The Double History of Doctor Valmy) serves as a transitional work.
  3. Final Stage: Employed a subjective point of view, often featuring characters with physical or mental disabilities. La Fundación (The Foundation) is a representative work from this period.

Alfonso Sastre

Born in Madrid, Sastre studied art and engaged in theatrical activities. His extensive body of work can be divided into three periods:

  1. First Period (1945-): Dramas of frustration exploring human limitations. Characters exist outside of historical context. This period showcases Sastre’s innovative techniques, as seen in Cargamento de sueños (Cargo of Dreams) and Uranio 235.
  2. Second Period (1950-): Focused on social critique and change. Plays reflect socialist humanism and depict harsh realities. This “drama of opportunity” adopted a social perspective, as seen in Escuadra hacia la muerte, La mordaza (The Gag), and Muerte en el barrio (Death in the Neighborhood).
  3. Third Period (1962-): Moved away from realism and adopted an ironic, distanced approach. Narrative elements were incorporated into his plays, such as La sangre y la ceniza (Blood and Ashes) and El banquete (The Banquet).

Other Realistic Authors

  • José Martín Recuerda: El puente de San Gil (The Bridge of San Gil).
  • Lauro Olmo: La camisa (The Shirt).
  • Carlos Muñiz: El tintero (The Inkwell).
  • José María Rodríguez Méndez: Los sucesos de Moncloa (The Moncloa Incidents).

Features of Realistic Theater:

  • Themes: Social injustice, exploitation, struggles of the disadvantaged, intolerance, and violence.
  • Direct and violent language.
  • Tone of bitterness and despair.
  • Use of farce and elements of sainete (a type of Spanish comic opera).
  • Focus on victims.
  • Rejection of avant-garde and Theater of the Absurd.

4. Experimental Theater of the 1960s and 1970s

[Content related to experimental theater would be added here.]