Spanish Theater: From Modernism to Post-Civil War
Spanish Theater: A Historical Overview
Modernism and Early 20th Century
The Rise of Modernism
Novecento and Vanguard: A cultural movement in Spain during the 1920s, characterized by:
- Strong university education and scientific spirit
- Anti-romanticism and rationalism
- Faith in Spain’s future
- European focus
- Defense of pure art
- Intellectual elitism and refined style
Key Figures:
- Essay: Ortega y Gasset, Eugenio D’Ors, Gregorio Marañón
- Novel: Continuation of Modernism with intellectual and formal rigor (e.g., Gabriel Miró, Ramón Pérez de Ayala)
The Theater Before the Spanish Civil War
Two main trends defined this era:
- Commercial Theater: Catered to public taste with bourgeois comedies (e.g., Jacinto Benavente’s Autumn Roses) and rural melodramas.
- Theater of Renovation: More complex and innovative works by authors like Miguel de Unamuno, Azorín, Ramón María del Valle-Inclán, and Federico García Lorca.
Commercial Theater
Attempts to break from melodrama had limited success. Jacinto Benavente’s career exemplifies the constraints of the time. After the failure of his socially critical El nido ajeno, he shifted to plays that aligned with public preferences:
- Plays with mild conflict
- Elegant, natural, and witty dialogue
- Bourgeois and rural settings
Other notable figures in commercial theater include:
- Carlos Arniches: Created a grotesque tragicomedy with humorous language and typical characters.
- Eduardo Marquina: Known for poetic dramas influenced by modernism, often with historical themes.
Theater of Renovation
This movement sought to create a new audience and bring theater to the people. Key figures include:
- Jacinto Grau: Used poetic prose to explore traditional themes.
- Ramón Gómez de la Serna: Wrote plays outside the commercial sphere, focusing on human frustrations.
- Generation of ’27: Lorca’s La Barraca is a prime example of their efforts to reach a wider audience.
Valle-Inclán and Lorca
Ramón María del Valle-Inclán
Valle-Inclán’s originality, radical approach, and rich language set him apart. His works often remained outside mainstream theater during his time. He experimented with various styles, from decadent modernism to grotesque farces. In 1920, he developed esperpento, a genre characterized by systematic distortion of characters and settings, exemplified in Luces de bohemia.
Federico García Lorca
Lorca’s theater is inherently poetic, with themes arising from the clash between individual and authority. His plays often feature:
- Female protagonists
- Exploration of sexual themes
- Andalusian rural settings
- Tragic outcomes
Post-Civil War Theater
The Impact of War
The Spanish Civil War had a devastating impact on theater. Exile, commercial pressures, and censorship stifled creativity. Self-censorship became common among writers.
Theater in the 1940s
This period saw a theater heavily influenced by bourgeois society and ideology. Key trends included:
- Comic theater: Farcical comedies with topical situations and humorous language.
- Historical-political theater: Escapist dramas that allowed audiences to forget the present reality.
- Bourgeois drama: Continued the tradition of Benavente’s comedies and dramas, often defending conservative values.
- Theater of humor: A more interesting trend, offering some valuable dramatic works.
Drama Since 1975
Two main trends emerged:
- Staging of previously silenced classical works.
- Revival of past texts.
Notable authors include:
- Antonio Gala: Known for symbolic realistic dramas and historical recreations.
- José Luis Alonso de Santos: Cultivated humorous comedy reflecting contemporary society.
- Fernando Fernán Gómez: Achieved success with realism in plays like Bicycles are for Summer.
Independent theaters became more professional, evolving into state-supported groups. This institutionalization, however, came at the expense of more innovative alternative theater.