Theatre Censorship in Spain (1931-1985)

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The study of censorship is vital to understanding the relationship between cultural production and the state. In Spain during the Second Republic, the civil war and the dictatorship of General Franco, censorship of all media was extensively used to promote hegemonic political and moral values while suppressing alternative ideologies. Artists adopted a variety of strategies in response to these environments. Theatre, as a medium with the potential to make direct and immediate connections with society, was subject to particularly severe control.Building on research already done by the investigators in this field, the project aims to carry out the most comprehensive analysis to date of how censorship functioned in Spain in different political contexts during the 20th century and the impact it had on all forms of theatrical production. The primary resource to be investigated is the collection of censorship documents held at the state archive in Alcalá de Henares, providing an invaluable insight into the operation of the system and its effect on theatrical activity. In addition to the censors' reports and correspondence on proposed productions and editions, the project will draw on a range of other sources, including analysis of all the relevant legislation and interviews with people involved.The findings of the project will be published in a book co-authored by Michael Thompson and Catherine O'Leary. The book will analyse the censorship process in the different periods and provide detailed case studies to illuminate the complexities of the issues involved, taking account of the perspectives of both the censors and the censored. For the first time, the impact of censorship on the full range of theatrical forms - protest theatre, propaganda theatre, mainstream drama and comedy, experimental theatre and performance, classical and foreign drama - will be explored. Furthermore, the volume will enhance access to the primary materials for non-specialists by providing translations into English of key documents and examples.The project is intended to stimulate further research by those working in Hispanic and European studies, theatre studies, cultural studies, history and information studies, contributing to explorations of issues of current concern in various disciplines, such as historical memory and identity, and the relationship between text and performance. Direct interdisciplinary links will be established through the organization of an international conference bringing together scholars and theatre professionals with an interest in censorship worldwide. It is intended that the conference will incorporate an element of performance as a focus for a live case study, and that selected papers will be published.