205
- Identity: the
building blocks of
2. Literature
and philosophy
3. Art and
architecture
4. Performing
arts
5. Cinema
and fashion
6. Media and
communications
7. Food and drink 8. Living culture:
the details of
Group activities: the rise of the theatre company
Like other nations, Spain has seen control of its theatre
wrested from playwrights and passed to directors and
theatre companies in recent decades.The number
of significant playwrights has diminished accordingly,
but the gap has been plugged in part by a clutch of
progressive drama groups that trace their roots to
itinerant troupes in the 1960s. Here are two:
Els Joglars. Formed in Barcelona in 1962, the anarchic
Els Joglars have tried virtually all theatrical forms and
somehow retained popular appeal.Typically, they go
against the grain, juggling the political and social hot
potatoes of the day.They were even locked up in 1977
for performingLaTorna, based on the real life execution
of two Catalan political prisoners. More recently, in
2004, they were putting a new spin on Cervantes’
El Retablo de las Maravillas.
La Fura dels Baus. Another Catalan outfit, this one
founded during theTransiciónand brought to world
attention during the opening ceremony of the 1992
Barcelona Olympics, they’re more about visual
spectacle than searing dialogue.They take the approach
that actor and author are one and the same, each
capable of developing a production. One recent play,
XXX(2002), was based on the Marquis de Sade’s
writings and duly featured simulated sex of varying
difficulty alongside genital mutilation.
Teatre Nacional de
Catalunya
Catalonia’s prime
theatrical venue, a
modern Neoclassical
affair from local architect
Ricardo Bofill, hosts the
nation’s best directors.
Teatro Real
The biggest, most
polished of Madrid’s
many stages plays host
to theatre, opera and
ballet.
Gran Teatre del Liceu
Barcelona’s grand 19th
century opera house has
burnt down three times
yet, expertly restored, it
continues to welcome
the world’s best.
Three grand
Spanish
theatres
