Shakespearean Theatre During The Spanish Golden Age

At the beginning of the Spanish Golden Age of theatre in the year 1492, theatre was not yet formalized. Players would perform their plays on the streets and would use pageant wagons, or “carros,” to change the setting and scenery throughout (MacGowan 75). Having multiple sets for a production was progressive for this era because theatre before this time used sparse scenery, such as in Shakespearean theatre in the Elizabethan era of England. These elaborate wagons were similar to theatre today where productions use multiple sets on track systems to change the setting. This creates a big world and adds to the spectacle of the play. It helps the audience create a seamless fabric of illusion to suspend their disbelief. Wagons were also practical
Although Spain was extremely Catholic, this was a time period of humanism and scholars and writers began to slightly drift away from religion subjects (Parker 12). One reason for this was the discovery of the New World and the exploration of Asia, which challenged the Christian ideas of the earth (Surecla 27). The plays written during this time also displayed this disparity between religion and science. The religious-themed plays were often performed in palaces and cathedrals (MacGowan 83). In 1598, Philip III took the throne of Spain, and his wife was very fond of drama. She had him build a theatre in the palace in Madrid where professional players could enact religious plays to his courtiers (MacGowan 83). The stages used in the cathedrals were similar to the French design because they used several sets on a long stage; they were stacked either horizontally or vertically to create several areas to replace the carros from the street performances (MacGowan 76). The tiered stage allowed the players to have multiple sets without complicated scene changes. For example, in Life is a Dream there are several different scenes with different locations, so the stacked stage was a practical way to have multiple sets. Again, this adds to the spectacle of the play. The secular plays were not allowed to be performed in the cathedrals and palaces, so they were performed in universities and
Corrales were set up in large empty squares that were between houses in a town (MacGowan 85). A typical corral had a broad stage with no curtain, the rooms and windows of the surrounding houses served as the boxes for the upper-class spectators, and there was a large pit area at the front of the stage for the groundlings (MacGowan 85). The setup of the corrales resembled that of the Globe Theater in London. One difference, however, is the large room called the “cazuela” or the “stewpan;” it was set aside for women in the audience and it was at the far end of the theater opposite of the stage (MacGowan 85). This design was extremely beneficial because it used a space that, before, was empty and useless and it turned it into a place for art and, more importantly, a place of revenue and profit. Because of this, most of the corrales did not even have to pay rent for the space (MacGowan 85). Every other public theater in Spain would follow this same architectural pattern until after 1700 (MacGowan