Argentine Theater History

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Argentine Theater History

Coat of Arms of Viceroy
Juan José de Vértiz y Salcedo.

In 1783 the first House of Comedy was created; the promoter of this enterprise was the Viceroy of Lights, as Viceroy Vértiz was called. The La Ranchería Theater was burnt down in a fire in 1792. Three years before, Siripo, by Manuel José de Lavardén had been premiered there. It is regarded as the first play by a local playwright. Four years after the fire of La Ranchería, a new theater was inaugurated, the Coliseo Provisional, which was considered the theater of the revolution, due perhaps to the closeness of the coming revolution of May, 1810. In that theater, El detalle de la acción de Maipú (The detail of the battle of Maipú) was premiered. The author of this play, which skillfully depicted popular customs, remains unknown.

Later on, El hipócrita político (The Hypocritical Politician) was on stage, only the initial letters of its author being known; it was an urban comedy, which reflected the Buenos Aires home of the period. In the same theater, Túpac Amaru (or The revolution of Túpac Amaru), a tragedy written in verse which is an account of the Indian revolution which took place in 1780 in Tungasuka, Peru.

Dismembering of Túpac Amaru.
Period engraving.



Juan Moreira, performed by José Podestá.	Martiniano Leguizamón's Calandria.

In 1884, Juan Moreira, a gauchesco drama, appeared in the form of a pantomime within the circus. This feuilleton by Eduardo Gutiérrez, which was published in a Buenos Aires newspaper, was the basis of the first play of gauchesco drama, which was later completed with texts drawn from the novel (1886).
This cycle was closed in 1896, with the premiere of Calandria by Martiniano Leguizamón.

By that time, Buenos Aires accommodated a large number of immigrants who arrived in this land in search of a better life. With them and through the Spanish branch, there came the sainete (one-act farce), theatrical style which gave rise to the sainete criollo. At that time, there emerged a group of playwrights who adhered to this style. They told about life in the conventillos (overcrowded tenement houses), in the streets and cafes. Among them, we can mention Roberto L. Cayol, Carlos M. Pacheco, José González Castillo, Alberto Novión and Alberto Vacarezza.

As from the early 20th century the theatrical activity was intense. Different companies premiered a large number of plays giving rise to the Golden Age. Florencio Sánchez, Gregorio de Laferrere and Roberto J. Payró gave the activity an uncommon creativity.

All the styles appeared one by one: the sainete criollo, gauchesco, the comedy of manners; and they reach its highest peak with Armando Discépolo. It was a thirty-year period of numerous dramatists and performers.

Alberto Vacarezza.

Gregorio de Laferrere's
Las de Barranco
(The Barranco Women).

Florencio Sánchez.

Barranca abajo,
(Downhill), by Florencio Sánchez.

The photographs in this article have been kindly granted by the National Institute for the Study of Theater.

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Osvaldo Calatayud

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