Spanish Theater Evolution: From Postwar to 1975

Trends in Spanish Theater After 1936

The consequences of the war were felt deeply in the Spanish theater. Some authors died, such as Valle-Inclán and Lorca, while others were exiled, including Max Aub and Alejandro Casona. Furthermore, we must take into account the commercial and ideological constraints of the time; only works with guaranteed success were assembled, while adhering to the strict limits imposed by censorship. These circumstances explain why the atmosphere was not propitious for renewal.

Postwar Theater: Two Distinct Lines

During the early postwar decades, two lines of theater developed:

• Commercial Theater: Dominates the stage, focusing on fun and inconsequential entertainment.
• Underground Theater: Limited to experimental, minority theaters with an ideological orientation and aesthetic renewal.

The Commercial Stage

Immediate postwar theater sought entertainment through two main styles:

• Continuity Theater: Continuing the line opened by Benavente (drawing-room comedies with proper tone and style), including authors like José María Pemán, Juan Ignacio Luca de Tena, and Joaquín Calvo Sotelo.
• Comedy Theater: Authors intended to renew laughter by introducing the improbable, the incongruous, and the absurd (e.g., Miguel Mihura, Jardiel Poncela).

The 1950s: Existential Drama

In the 1950s, while commercial theater persisted, a distinct, maverick line emerged. This existential drama sought to stir the Spanish consciousness by addressing current problems, marked by two key works:

• Historia de una escalera by Buero Vallejo
• Escuadra hacia la muerte by Alfonso Sastre

The 1960s: Social Critique and Bourgeois Comedy

By the 1960s, two sides emerged:

• Bourgeois Comedy: Authors who achieved great success with audiences, such as Alfonso Paso, J.J. Alonso Millán, and Antonio Gala.
• Social Theater: Focused on the critical problems of the dispossessed under the dictatorship. These authors denounced capitalism using simple, folk language. Notable figures include Lauro Olmo and José Martín Recuerda.

The 1970s: Avant-Garde and Realism

The 1970s opened several fronts in Spanish theater:

• Independent Theater: Enhanced body expression (e.g., Joglars, Els Comediants).
• International Avant-Garde: Fernando Arrabal created the 'Panic Stage,' characterized by confusion, humor, terror, chance, and euphoria. Francisco Nieva connected to the theater of the absurd, though always allowing for the possibility of salvation.
• Symbolist Playwrights: Notable for a sharp, cutting-edge tone, marked pessimism, and frequent animal symbolism (e.g., José Ruibal, Luis Riaza).
• Contemporary Realism: By 1975, authors addressed contemporary issues with a realist aesthetic and moderate formal innovation, such as Fernando Fernán Gómez, Ana Diosdado, and José Luis Alonso de Santos.