Spanish Theater: Post-War Trends, Playwrights, and Social Realism
Item 9. Theater from 1939 to Today
Introduction: To understand the two playwrights, it’s important to note that the first third of the 20th century saw the deaths of Valle-Inclan and Lorca, and other established figures fled into exile. The Spanish theater scene slowly recovered, closely watched by censors who always dealt with particular zeal due to theater’s unique ability to communicate.
Trends in Post-War Dramatic Theater
In the 1940s, the “national” theater was in the service of the dictatorship. Elusive theater triumphs included bourgeois comedy and humor-based drama. In the late 40s, realistic theater emerged, a complaint history exemplified by the work A Ladder. From the 70s, avant-garde theater emerged, influenced by the theater of the absurd and the theater of cruelty. By the end of the 60s, independent theater was established. Since 1975, contemporary issues and a moderate realist aesthetic with formal renewal have been favored.
The Commercial or Evasive Theater
General features of escapist theater include extolling the winners, with two primary functions: to entertain and convey an ideology. It stresses bourgeois comedy and humor-based drama.
Bourgeois Comedy
High comedy evolved from Benavente, with the function to entertain and educate. This genre includes a moderate amount of criticism, some humor, and a melodramatic tone to exalt the family, marriage, and home. Authors and important works include: The Butterfly Will by Jose Maria Pemán, and Two Women at Nine by Lucas de Tena.
Humor Theater
Humor theater is a comedy that shows a novel and innovative approach. The two most prominent writers in this movement were Miguel Enrique Jardiel Poncela and Mihura. Jardiel Poncela is characterized by the incorporation of the unbelievable. His characters belong to the bourgeoisie, and the societal aspects he represents are love and money.
His most important works are: Eloisa is Beneath an Almond Tree and Four Hearts. Miguel Mihura was the real initiator of the renewal of humor. Mihura shows his pessimism and disillusionment through radical humor, seemingly absurd situations, and senseless, inconceivable dialogues. Mihura wrote works like Three Top Hats or La Codorniz.
The Theater of Social Realism, Involved Drama
In the 50s, a theater focused on realistic political commitment and social withdrawal emerged. The main mission of art, in the unjust world in which they lived, was to transform. This is also referred to as a theater or art of “urgency.” A theater of social unrest openly challenged the power; the playwright must oppose the political purpose beyond the artistic. A breakthrough outside the theater came from Buero Vallejo, who argued for a theater as possible. The author detaches certain rules and impositions of censorship so that their work should be up to the stage. His characters are historical or unrealistic.
The Theater of the 60s: Realism and Bourgeois Comedy
The social realist drama continued to grow during the 60s. It was considered by some to be the only type of theater that responded to the country’s circumstances. In the 60s, the new bourgeois comedy gained popularity, with its key themes being the pursuit of happiness and the defense of romantic love. The most prominent authors are Alfonso Paso, Jaime de Armiñán, Jaime Salom, and Juan Jose Alonso Millan.
Last Dramas
Diversity of trends, broadly, though no visible traits in common: the front-retreat, a traditional line Retono, drama that deals with very current problems.
Important works to stress here are: Bicycles Are for Summer by Fernando Fernan Gomez, and Ay, Caramel by Joseph Sanchis.