Baroque Theater: Origins, Divisions, and Key Elements
Origins of Baroque Theater: Italian Influence
The influence of Italian theater is evident in 16th-century Spanish theater in terms of themes, action, and scenic techniques.
Lope de Rueda
Lope de Rueda founded his own Italian company and was an actor and playwright. His theatrical repertoire consisted of dramatic works. His comedy is an imitation of Italian comedy, emphasizing dialogue agility (e.g., Olives and Land of Cockaigne).
Juan de la Cueva
Juan de la Cueva introduced national themes to the theater at the end of the 16th century, using romances and legends to create works such as The Death of King Sancho and The Siege of Zamora. He resumed elements of Lope de Vega and brought them to completion.
Divisions of Drama
Plays were divided into three acts or days:
- Exposition: Corresponds to the beginning of the first act.
- Node: Covers the rest of the first act, the second act, and part of the third act.
- Outcome: Includes the end of the third act.
The Corrales and Their Audience
The influx of the public forced places to be developed for this purpose, leading to the creation of corrales. All kinds of audiences attended, but they occupied separate places based on rank, social status, and money. The space structure was as follows:
Popular Entries
- Courtyard: Space for the mosqueteros (groundlings).
- Pot: Place for women of lower social class.
- Banking: Localities that are currently numerous calls.
- Stands: The covered part of the corral.
Towns for Cultured Individuals and Writers
- Attic or Gathering: Space for cultured individuals and writers.
Towns for Distinguished Individuals
- Rooms, Bars, and Shutters: Occupied by knights, noble ladies, and wealthy merchants.
Cities for Officers
- Officers Cities: Reserved for authorities.
Rails
- Rails: The front benches were occupied by gentlemen.
During the Golden Age, plays were performed in a multitude of spaces, both indoors and outdoors, in professional theaters, corrales, convents, colleges, areas of the nobility, gardens, and other places.
Theatrical Releases
To maintain a loyal audience, constant renewal of the bill was needed, not just of the work but also of the company. Premieres were announced at street corners with hand-painted signs or through street criers. The scenery was minimal, often just a painted curtain, forcing the viewer to imagine the scenic apparatus. Elaborate scenery was reserved only for comedies of saints, mythological plays, and representations made in palaces. Actors were a primary draw for the public, and figures like Maria Vaca and Jusepa Calderona attracted viewers. The comic possibilities of famous comedians like Cosme Perez, nicknamed Juan Rana, were praised by all.
The Renovation of the Theater: Lope de Vega
Lope de Vega was inspiring and responsible for the massive success of comedy in the 17th century.
New Art of Making Comedies
This involved a mix of tragic and comic elements, three acts, unity of action, poetry, language, few dimensions, and a happy ending.
Characters
Typical characters included the King, mighty figures, men, a young man and lady, a funny character, and a villain.
Ideology
Basic pillars of the ideology included:
- Love as occupation and universal justification.
- Honor as a reason for being.
- The defense of the monarchy and the Catholic faith.
Comic Pieces
These featured nice-looking themes, holidays, or humorous situations.
Tragicomedy and Tragic Dramas
These usually deal with a conflict of honor that reflects the traumatic relationship between the privacy of individuals and social pressure.
Minor Theatrical Genres
- Auto Sacramental: An allegorical one-act play that exalts the sacrament of the Eucharist.
- Entremés: A short comic piece that was performed between the first and second days of the comedies.
- Loa: A greeting made by the company to capture the benevolence of the spectators.
- Dancing: Part of a mild argument, the main elements of which were music, singing, and dancing.
- Jácara: Recreating the atmosphere of rogues, thieves, prostitutes, etc.
- Mojiganga: A grotesque mascarade, both in terms of subjects and types, as well as their costumes.