Spanish Theater Before 1936: A Historical Analysis

The Theater of the Prewar Period (Before 1936)

The development of the theater before the Civil War was conditioned by the abundance of private premises, which addressed the shortage of public entertainment. Therefore, the works represented were primarily commercial and designed to please the bourgeois public. Consequently, we can divide the theater into two groups: that which was represented and that which was not.

Theater That Was Represented

The High Bourgeois Comedy: This genre is based on naturalness; its characters are bourgeois individuals who live out their daily problems on stage. Jacinto Benavente stands out, with his most emblematic works being: Rose of Autumn, The Vested Interests (a hypocritical farce about the ideals of the bourgeoisie), and the rural drama The Unloved. In 1912, he was appointed a member of the RAE, and in 1922, he was awarded the Nobel Prize.

Verse Drama: This was an attempt to bring modernism to the theater. It is traditional and highlights events of the past (usually from the Golden Age). Notable authors include:

• Francisco Villaespesa: Uses a superficial Art Nouveau style and simple language; he wrote dramas such as The Palace of the Pearls.
• Eduardo Marquina: Mixes lyric theater and is famous for his historical dramas, such as The Daughters of the Cid.
• The brothers Antonio and Manuel Machado: Use popular characters to develop a critique of the bourgeoisie. Lola Goes to the Ports is a folk comedy featuring the love story of a singer and a guitarist.

Comic Theater

This genre is divided into two subgenres: the traditional comedy and the farce. Key figures include:

• The brothers Serafín and Joaquín Álvarez Quintero: Their pieces are folkloric in nature, describing the way of life in their native Andalusia, while leaving aside the bleak and miserable vision of social ills; their Andalusia is one of light and color. One of their most outstanding works is On the Rack.
• Carlos Arniches: His work is divided into two categories: first, the farce of Madrid, which reflects the castiza speech (such as The Saint of the Isidra). On the other hand, he developed the grotesque tragedy, which unites comedy with social injustice (Mademoiselle de Trévelez).

Theater Which Was Not Represented

Innovative theater is that which, far from bourgeois realism, experiments with new forms and themes. Within this category, we can include:

• The Theater of the Generation of '98: Includes Luces de Bohemia by Valle-Inclán and Phaedra by Unamuno.
• Theater of the Generation of '27: García Lorca stands out as a poetic and didactic playwright, founder of the theater company La Barraca, and author of tragedies (Blood Wedding) and dramas (The House of Bernarda Alba).
• Avant-Garde Theater: The most notable is the scene of Ramón Gómez de la Serna, in his work And Media Utopia Beings.