Political Theatre during the Spanish Civil War

Jim McCarthy

pp xix251 1999 hardback
ISBN 0-7083-1523-2

`The objectivity of McCarthy's analysis lends credibility to the research. A political subject often forces an author to betray a bias or agenda, but McCarthy does not cave in. Also among the book's strengths, quotations from plays or other Spanish sources are given both in Spanish and in excellent translations. Above all, Political Theatre during the Spanish Civil War merits attention for its original contribution to knowledge. It is cause for celebration when an entire episode of theatrical history is rescued from political oblivion.' (Theatre History Studies)

‘ . . . a unique exploration of the genre that details its evolution as a dramatic form, and its characteristics, content and – crucially – staging . . . work of exceptional value . . . ’ The Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Council Bulletin of Publications‘ . . . the book is a brilliant contribution to the study of political theatre during the Spanish Civil War.’ International Review of Social History

‘ . . . ground-breaking study.’ (International Theatre Informations)

‘ . . . excellent . . . McCarthy's painstaking historical research, reasoned argument and rigorous analysis make of this monograph an indispensable entry into the history of Spain's theatre during the Civil War. He is to be commended for giving the project the many years it required to gather material, run down leads, contact survivors and then patiently and dispassionately write his account. He has indeed recovered, for us, a lost chapter of Spain's theatrical history.’ (Bulletin of Hispanic Studies)

‘ . . . meticulous reassessment.’ (Bulletin of Hispanic Studies)

Jim McCarthy's ground-breaking study rediscovers the forgotten political theatre of the Spanish Civil War. Teatro de urgencia is an aspect of Spanish cultural history that virtually disappeared with the defeat of the Republic. In the charged atmosphere that followed the end of the Civil War, many texts were destroyed and others were locked in archives which were inaccessible during the dictatorship. This inaccessibility and a basic misunderstanding of the nature of the plays has led to undeserved critical neglect. In these plays, the ambiguity and implication of more `traditional' Spanish theatre were displaced by a factual starkness intended to appeal directly to the spectator and to nurture the ideal Republican combatant and citizen. Presented by mobile troupes, they were performed in a range of locations: streets, village squares, hospitals, barracks, factories, and sometimes at the battlefront.

This is the only book-length study of the subject, in either Spanish or English, and it draws upon rare, unpublished archive material. The author discusses the texts and performances in the context of contemporary ideologies and the war-time conditions which produced teatro de urgencia. He also relates the genre to the wider currents of European political theatre and examines its continuity with and divergence from the traditions of Spanish drama.

Jim McCarthy is senior lecturer in theatre studies at Trinity College, Carmarthen. He is the author of several articles on theatre during the Spanish Civil War.

'The objectivity of McCarthy's analyses lends credibility to the research. A political subject often forces an author to betray a bias or agenda, but McCarthy does not cave in. Also among the book's strengths, quotations from plays or other Spanish sources are given both in Spanish and in excellent translations. Above all, Political Theatre during the Spanish Civil War merits attention for its original contribution to knowledge. It is cause for celebration when an entire episode of theatrical history is rescued from potential oblivion.' Felicia Hardison Londre, University of Missouri-Kansas City