The" Immersion Technique" in the Theatre of Antonio Buero Vallejo
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THE 1 IMMERSION TECHNIQUE' IN THE THEATRE OF ANTONIO BUERO VALLEJO: THE EXPRESSION OF THEME THROUGH SCENOGRAPHIC INNOVATION AND EXPERIMENTATION A Thesis Presented In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree Master of Theatre In the Graduate School of the Ohio State University by John B. Connor, M.A. * * * * * The Ohio State University 1995 Master/s Examination Conmlttee: Approved by Esther Beth Sullivan Alan Woods ls Department of Theatre VITA May 21 , 1961 • Born - Nelsonville, Ohio 1984 • . • • . B.A., The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio 1988 . • . • . • M.A., The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio FIELDS OF STUDY Major Field: Theatre Studies in: Theatre History, Literature and Criticism; Spanish and French Literature and Linguistics i i TABLE OF CONTENTS VITA i i LIST OF FIGURES iv LIST OF PLATES . v INTRODUCTION . 1 CHAPTER PAGE I. BIOGRAPHICAL BACKGROUND 14 II. THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE "IMMERSION TECHNIQUE" . 29 Development of Style .........•. 30 The "Immersion Technique" ..•..•. 38 III. THE "IMMERSION TECHNIQUE" AND THEMATIC EXPRESSION 58 Philosophical Basis •..•..••..•. 60 Textual-Literary <Metaphorical> Themes ... 66 Technical-Productional or Immersive Themes • 78 Schema ta . 81 IV. THE "IMMERSION TECHNIQUE" AND THEMATIC EXPRESSION IN DIALOGO SECRETO . • . 105 CONCLUSION • . 138 BIBLIOGRAPHY . 142 111 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURES PAGE 1. Predominant Themes in the Theatre of Antonio Buero Vallejo. 82 2. The "Immersion Technique"--Thematlc Reconceptualization •. 84 3. Ability of Sub-Theme to Concurrently Affect More than One Sub-Theme . • . • • . • . 86 iv LIST OF PLATES PLATE PAGE I. Goya y Lucientes, Francisco de. El sueno de la razon produce monstruos CThe Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters] Number 43 in series of aquatints named "Los caprichos" 46 I I. Goya y Lucientes, Francisco de. Saturno devorando a su hi.io [Saturn Devouring His Son, or Saturn] Prado Museum, Madrid .•.••. 51 III. Velazquez de Silva, Diego. Las menirias CThe Ladies-in-Waiting, or The Matrons of HonorJ Prado Museum, Madrid . • • . • . • • 95 IV. Velazquez de Sliva, Diego. La tabula de Palas v Aracne CThe Fable of Palas and Arachnel conmonly known as "Las hilanderas" ["The Spl nners" or "The Weavers" J Prado Museum, Madr l d . • • • . 112 v INTRODUCTION The career of Antonio Buero Vallejo' is to Spanish theatre what those of his contemporaries Arthur Miller and Tennessee Williams are to the theatre of the United States. Like Miller, Buero draws his characters from the pool of everyday life, and depicts them in familial settings in conflict with one another and with society at large. Many of Buero's early dramatic efforts bear a striking resemblance to All My Sons. On the other hand, many of Buero's later plays center around fictional or historic characters pulled from the past, whose social conflicts directly correlate to societal conditions of the present. These allegorical plays are structured thematically along the lines of Ibe Crucible. Like Williams, Buero's writing style at f lrst glance reflects the continuation of the Ibsenian tradition: realism mixed with traces of neo-symbollsm. Buero creates complex tragic characters whose fatal flaw ls self-deception, whose Identity ls a self-deluded construct which eventually ls exposed through the course of the play. Like Williams, too, Buero's characters are intrinsically connected to the past, haunted by events which they must ultimately confront. Most noticeably, Buero relies heavily on theatrical effects, such as fragnentary settings, to underscore the psychological turmoils of his characters. Above all, like both 1 2 Williams and Miller, in his twenty-seven plays Buero explores contemporary societal issues which confront and are collectively shared by the members of his audience. Yet, whereas Spanish theatergoers are certainly familiar with the major works of these American playwrights, American audiences, for the most part, have never heard of Buero, Spain 1 s most celebrated playwright of the second half of the twentieth century. The Spanish critic Ricardo Domenech argues that Buero/s concentration on Spain as the principal thematic component in his plays renders them nearly unintelligible outside of Spain. This is an arguable position. Indeed, Buero--like Goya, Velazquez, Larra and the rest of the gallery of Spanish visionaries brought to life in his plays--addresses specifically Spanish situations by focusing on specifically Spanish figures, but he does so to elucidate general 11 truths 11 and to expose universal "lies. 11 Buero;s body of work stands as testament to the force of will confronted by seemingly insurmountable obstacles, a situation which is decidedly not specifically Spanish. The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that Buero belongs in the pantheon of twentieth-century playwrights. Like his contemporary American playwrights, Buero focuses on moral and ethical choices made by conflicted characters as they struggle with life in the twentieth century. He differs, however, by implementing scenographic elements which metaphorically allude to the underlying themes he is exploring. Scenographic resourcefulness is the hallmark of Buerian dramaturgy. This study explores the unarguably static thematic content of Buero•s 3 plays, but does so not by focusing on his dramatic craftmanship so much as on his scenographic experimentation, in order to demonstrate his innovative, highly theatrlcallzed approach to conveying Information to his audience. This study will provide a brief biography of Buero, focusing on those elements of his early years which presage the direction and development of his later dramaturgy. Furthermore, it will highlight the fundamental body of themes which underly all of his works, but will focus on the increasing Importance Buero places on scenography as a means of expressing his thematic content across the traJectory of his plays. It will affirm that since the thematic unit In Buerlan theatre ls so overwhelmingly static, his reliance on scenographlc technique is essential In order to circumvent claims that his plays are merely endless restatements of vlrtual"ly the same Idea. It will provide examples of how Buero's expression of theme evolves throughout his career by placing special attention on the changing dynamics among themes through distinct periods In his career. There are several reasons why this study ls significant for theatre scholarship in America. There ls very little criticism in English on Buero; this thesis serves to fill that void by presenting a study on Buerian dramaturgy that ls not only in English but also for English speakers. In addition, this study ls beneficial for American directors and playwrights, who can take advantage of how Buero manipulates thematic information through imaginative and inexhaustive scenographlc exploration. This study also depicts how Buero subcategorizes his themes by demonstrating in schematic representation how the thematic pieces are reconceptualized and re-presented in provocatively theatrical ways via the employment of his 1 ID111ersion Technlque.• 2 There are numerous feasible explanations for Buero's phenomenal absence from the roster of internationally-renowned playwrights. In many ways, Buero's narrow reception outside of Spain follows rather traditional lines for Spanish Letters Jn general. Shakespeare ls taught In American high schools, whereas Lope de Vega, Shakespeare's extraordinarily prolific Spanish contemporary, ls rarely mentioned. The same ls true for the nineteenth-century novelist/playwright Benito Perez Galdos, who was as popular ln Spain as his British contemporary Charles Dickens was Jn England. A primary reason for our ignorance of Spanish letters rests ln the historical assumption that Spanish ls a less cultured language than English or French, long-time languages of diplomacy. As Spain's power ebbed ln the seventeenth century and other European countries' powers increased, the world-wide necessity for learning Spanish for political reasons abated. Secondly, there ls a historical bias against Spain, whose political and especially cultural zenith ls imbued/tinged with •oriental• CArab> influences, casting a shadow of •otherness• on all things Spanish. This anomaly seemingly dissociates Spain from the ancestral currents of other European countries, placing Spain in an •inferior• category. In addition, Spain's affiliation with the Roman Catholic Church works against the world-wide diffusion of its letters. Much of Enlightened 5 Thought was a product of the Reformation, and is thus associated with Protestantism. Many of the Church's counterreformatlonal measures, such as the Holy Inquisition and the Index, were enormously influential In the predominantly Catholic Spain. As the exchange of Ideas between countries increased, the Protestant countries saw themselves as progressive and viewed the Catholic ones as regressive. In fairness to this point-of-view, Spanish history does reflect an abundance of reactionary thought, but this ls manifested by Its political institutions more than it ls reflected through its art. Hence, the lackluster reception of Spanish Arts and Letters today has historical precedence: It ls rooted in Its decrease in world-wide dissemination during the Age of Enlightenment. Moreover, the era of Franco (1939-1975> ls marked by a program of deliberate interiorlzatlon: the lines of canmunlcation were effectively cut off from the rest of the world, precisely at a time when technological advancements fascllltated International lines of conmunlcatlon elsewhere.