Spanish Theater Evolution: 1939 to Present Day
Theater From 1939
Introduction: The theater scene was heavily influenced by the Franco regime. Censorship affected not only the text but could also lead to the suspension of a performance at any time. 1939 saw the resurgence of attempts at symbolic-poetic genres, romantic comedies, and tearjerkers in the style of Adolfo Torrado. The traditional court order was elusive, with witty, superficial bourgeois environments and elegant dialogues. Variants included ideological drama (Juan Ignacio Luca de Tena, Joaquín Calvo Sotelo) and comedy of avoidance (avoiding confrontation with social reality, attempting to compensate for the limitations and cruelties of life through humor that creates a separate reality, as seen in Edgar Neville’s works like “Dancing”, “Blond Hair”, “Jealousy”, etc.).
Enrique Jardiel Poncela created humorous theater, where humor connects with logic breaks and theatrical art. The kingdom of this theater is absurd, featuring intellectualized humorous dialogues and atypical characters, as seen in “Four Hearts with Brake and Reverse” (1936), “Eloise is Under an Almond Tree” (1940), and “Thieves Are Honorable People” (1941). Miguel Mihura used humor through the displacement of the absurd, a new vision of language, and characters free from prejudice against the bourgeois world, employing avant-garde language in works like “Three Hats” (1932), “The Accounting of the Stars”, “Neither Poor nor Rich”, etc.
The Tragic Existential and Social Drama
With Antonio Buero Vallejo and Alfonso Sastre, the actual Spanish drama of the 1950s began, catering to a new public and sweetening the demolition of theater committed by censorship in appearance.
Buero Vallejo
Features of his theater:
- Seeks tragic catharsis, influencing the spectator’s role in the dialogue.
- Uses a technical theater-immersion effect, making the viewer participate in the scene.
- Characters are portrayed with psychological drama in the style of Ibsen.
Notable works:
- Symbolist theater: “In the Burning Darkness” (1950) [confrontation between two ways of imagining life].
- Socially critical theater: “Story of a Staircase” (1949), “Today is a Holiday” (1956), “The Skylight” (1967).
- Historical drama (reflections on present problems): “A Dreamer for the People” (1958), “Las Meninas” (1960), “The Concert of San Ovidio” (1962), “The Sleep of Reason” (1970), “The Detonation” (1977).
Alfonso Sastre
He viewed theater as an instrument of social upheaval and transformation, portraying tragedy in the changing world we live in. His most important works include “Squad to Death”, “Another Death”, “Barrio”, “In the Network”, “William Tell Has Sad Eyes”, and “The Fantastic Tavern”.
Theater could not be overtly anti-bourgeois due to political opposition. In the 1960s, new playwrights took the stage, denouncing injustices, institutional violence, using complex characters, colloquial dialogue, and farce. Notable figures include Lauro Olmo (“The Shirt” – 1962), José Martín Recuerda (“The Wild Bridge of San Gil” – 1963), José María Rodríguez Méndez (“The Wooden Wagons” – 1959), and Carlos Muñiz (“The Cricket” – 1957).
Commercially Successful Playwrights
Alfonso Paso created theater for a middle-class audience that identified with the author. In the 1960s, Antonio Gala, Jaime Salom, and Ana Diosdado maintained a constant public, closing their texts with a moral message. Notable works by Gala include “The Green Fields of Eden” (1963), “The Lost Good Mornings” (1972), “Rings for a Lady” (1973), “Why Do You Run, Ulysses?” (1975), “Petra Regalada” (1979), and “Old Miss Paradise” (1980).
Innovative Theater From 1970
Groups emerged in opposition to commercial theater, and playwrights who were previously banned saw their works represented during the 1980s. These groups were characterized by collective creation, improvisation, body expression, underestimation of dance text, a critical approach, and the use of the stage extending into the seating area.
Some playwrights developed a drama on the sidelines, known as “underground theater,” characterized by the internal destruction of the character, language, parabolic action, and the invasion of hardcore scenes and space objects. They cultivated critical parables to evade censorship, using fables and allegorical farce. Notable figures include José Ruibal (“Beggars”, “The Man and the Fly”), Fernando Arrabal (“Picnic”, “Fando and Lis”, “The Architect and the Emperor of Assyria”), and Francisco Nieva (“Hair of the Storm”).
Latest Playwrights
New works have not reached a wide audience, often using established genres. Since 1975, authors have addressed contemporary issues with formal renewal within a realistic aesthetic. Notable figures include José Sanchis Sinisterra (“Ay, Carmela!”, “Extras”), José Luis Alonso de Santos (“Get Off, Moor”, “The Tobacco of Vallecas”, “Yankees, Yankees”), and Fermín Cabal (“Castles in the Air”, “You’re Crazy, Brown”).