A History of Galician Theater: 19th Century to Today
The Early History of Contemporary Galician Theater
The early history of contemporary Galician theater usually begins in 1882 with the premiere of A Fonte do Xuramento (The Source of the Oath) by Francisca María de la Iglesia. Dramaturgy between centuries had four basic trends: social, costumbrista-humorística, historical theater, and lyrical theater. Rural environment theater was built on dialogue, peopled by characters, and Brazilian topics.
From 1916, through the work of the Irmandades da Fala (Brotherhoods of the Language), an important leap occurred. This was manifested by the gradual diversification of generic parts, the emergence of theater groups that strove to cultivate the genre, doing translations, and serving as theater critics. The Brotherhoods created theater that was very appropriate internationally, but ran into the problem of the lack of theater companies, the difficulty in editing works, the devaluation that the language suffered among the middle and urban classes, and competition from cinema.
Two Currents within the Irmandades
Within the Irmandades, two currents emerged:
- Conservative: Remaining true to the finisecular theater form.
- Renewal: Advocating for the creation of a cultured and modern Galician theater.
Ramón Otero Pedrayo and Antón Vilar Ponte belonged to the latter. Key works include Vilar Ponte’s A Mán da Santiña and Mariscal. Otero Pedrayo was a prolific author, and La Prensa was published in 1928. Already in the post-war period, titles such as El Noble, The Night, and The Disappointment of the Prior emerged. Rafael Dieste wrote The Empty Window in 1927. Álvaro Cunqueiro won a competition in 1924 with The King’s Jester.
Post-War Diaspora and Theatrical Proposals
During the post-war diaspora, two different theatrical proposals emerged:
- Popular and Customary (Enxebrista): Represented by authors such as Varela Buxán.
- More Educated: With innovative techniques, themes, and approaches. This chain is represented by Blanco Amor (Farsas for Puppets), Seoane (The Soldadeiras Schemes, Fake), and Castelao, who debuted in Buenos Aires in 1941 with Os vellos non deben de namorarse (The Old Should Not Fall in Love), which presents three versions of the same dramatic scheme: an old man who falls for a young girl and the impossibility of love.
Post-Civil War in Portugal
In Portugal, after the Civil War, there was a long silence in literary publishing, which began to be overcome in the early 1950s. Theater was censored, and parts were often pre-war. The implementation of Galaxia helped playwriting and dramaturgy (e.g., the premiere of The Uncertain Lord Don Hamlet by Cunqueiro). Theater now developed along three main lines:
- Continuation of the costumbrista theater (Novels of Christian and Moor in Franchise by Vilar Ponte).
- Pieces continuing modernizing tendencies (The Disappointment of the Prior by Otero Pedrayo).
- Existentialist pieces (Road Choido, influenced by the French).
The Re-emergence of Theater in the 1960s
From the 1960s, theater re-emerged in Portugal at the hands of independent theater. In 1973, the Abrente Cultural Group of Beja, headed by Ernesto Chao, urged a fair and the 1st Abrente Galician Theater Exhibition. The Abrente group (Manuel Lourenzo, Euloxio Ruibal, Roberto Vidal Bolaño, among others) renewed Galician theater in the 1970s and early 1980s, creating a theater of actual quality and commitment. An example is the work Laudamus and Dark Minutes by Roberto Bolaño.
Socio-Political Changes and Cultural Reorientation
Socio-political changes and cultural reorientation were caused by the Xeración Ploaia (Rain Generation) in the 1980s and 1990s. This step saw the proliferation of interest groups that emerged in the previous period. In 1984, the Galician Dramatic Center was created, numerous awards were convened, and a theater collection was published.
Contemporary Trends
In recent years, four trends have been observed:
- Critique
- Airone
- Entertaining
- Knowledgeable
Contemporary theater resorts to humor and satire. The favorite genre of theater is comedy. Major authors of the 1980s generation include Jesús Pisón (Valadouro Fantasy with Vampires) and John Guisán Seijas (Theater to Eat). The 1990s generation is led by Raúl Dans, an author who attained widespread recognition with Matalobos.