Catalan Theater Revival: Post-War Censorship and Key Authors
Catalan Theater Under the Franco Regime (1939–1975)
The Civil War was a defeat for Catalan culture. The Franco regime forbade the use of the Catalan language, and institutions were suppressed. Literature in Catalan developed mainly in exile or underground. Theater was suppressed until 1946, when some performances resumed, though shows suffered heavy censorship, and it was forbidden to translate works into Catalan.
Early performances represented works from the nineteenth century (such as those by Guimerà and Pitarra) and only a few living authors, including Josep M. Segarra and Carles Soldevila. The recovery of the genre began in 1955.
After the Civil War, local customs were maintained. A drama group was formed in Barcelona, acting as an institution that sought to spread contemporary Catalan theater. In 1963, performances were banned (the closing). The **School of Dramatic Art Adrià Gual** took over, later becoming the **Theatre Institute** in 1971. During the 1960s and 1970s, two very important groups emerged: The Minstrels and Comedians.
European Theatrical Currents Influencing Catalan Drama
Several European currents influenced the post-war Catalan stage:
- Existentialist Theater: This trend was continued by authors such as Jose Maria Espinàs.
- Theater of the Absurd: This movement, rooted in existentialist drama and surrealism, was continued by Joan Brossa. European authors like Ionesco and Beckett sought to show absurdity through works lacking a defined argument, featuring inconsistent dialogue and minimal scenery. In Catalonia, this movement was echoed by Joan Brossa and Manuel Pedrolo. Its characteristics include the destruction of scenic conventions to show the absurdity of reality. (Example: No document).
- American Influence Theater: This trend was continued by Joan Oliver. Its features include:
- A pessimistic tone that leads to psychological conflicts.
- Reflection of different personalities, passions, desires, and repression.
- Critical political and social commentary on the American system.
Conclusion: This genre evolved, though it struggled to move away from realism and the psychological novel.
Joan Brossa (1919–1998): Performance Poetry
Born in Barcelona, Joan Brossa was a founder of the avant-garde group Dau al Set, alongside artists like Modest Cuixart, Antoni Tàpies, and Joan Josep Arnau Puig. The influence of the avant-garde led him to relate poetry and visual arts, merging several fields such as music, magic, sculpture, and film.
Brossa, who always defined himself as a poet, understood theater as performance poetry. He was very versatile and died in Barcelona in 1998.
His theater, which he called performance poetry, is based on experimentation and avant-garde influence. It is a drama that seeks new languages and aims to show reality in an expressive and suggestive way. It focuses on characters and situations of daily life that develop into the absurd, often featuring seemingly inconsequential dialogues and grotesque situations.
His extensive theatrical production (more than three hundred works) had little initial effect and remains quite unknown. Among his works, notable titles include Gold and Salt, Horse and Above the Bottom, and Lime and Bricks, which follow the atmosphere of popular comedy sketches but contrast them with realistic dialogues and poetic monologues influenced by surrealism.
Joan Oliver (Pere Quart) (1899–1986)
Born in Sabadell, Joan Oliver came from a family of the high bourgeoisie. He studied law but showed interest in literature from a very young age. He worked for publications such as the newspaper *La Veu*. He joined the group in Sabadell (with Francesc Trabal and Armand Obiols) and favored the avant-garde.
The Civil War marked a break in his literary career. Oliver lived in exile (in France and Santiago de Chile) until 1948, when he returned to Spain and took a militant attitude in the anti-Franco struggle. He wrote *The Three Branches of Pine*.
Joan Oliver wrote plays, poetry, and prose, although he signed the latter genre with the pseudonym of Pere Quart. He died in Barcelona in 1986. The theater of Joan Oliver suffered the consequences of the post-war situation.
Of his theatrical production, perhaps the most noteworthy are What Happened (a parody on the romantic relationship between Nara, Cain, and Abel) and Hunger (which relates to the idea of revolution). After the Civil War, his theater led to psychological comedy, especially in the work The Stolen Ball, in which he reflects on human relationships through three marriages in a life crisis.
Joan Oliver also maintained intense activity as a translator of plays. Among his noteworthy translations is the free version of *Pygmalion* by G. B. Shaw.