Modern Spanish Plays Produced in the United States, 1900-1947

One of the most notable features of recent literature has been the flowering of the drama, and the award of the Nobel Prize to Echegaray in 1904 and to Benavente in 1922 testifies to a development whose influence has extended far beyond the borders of Spain. The evaluation of the role of the modern drama in the United States would offer an interesting study in comparative literature. Two articles of some years ago shed some light on the problem: one, English Translations of Plays, by E. C. Hills (1), considers the question of popularity of plays in this country judged by the number of translations, while the other, Spanish Drama on the American Stage, 1900-1938, by Florence Nicholson (2), deals primarily with the critical reaction to New York productions. Both articles include mention of earlier periods, especially the Golden Age. It is evident that further investigation is necessary to give us a fuller and more valid picture before we will be able to judge the significance of modern drama in the United States. This might include not only bringing the above two articles up to date, but also studying the role of the little theatre, the problem of translation, the effect of stars upon a play's success, and additional inquiry into American critical response. The present study is intended to give a more accurate picture of the production of modern plays in this country by including in the compilation which follows not only commercial but also little theatre productions. It is limited, however, to and Spanish-American authors since Echegaray and Gald6s and covers the years from 1900 to 1947. Sources for the compilation fall into three main classifications: (I) Printed material, chiefly the Best Plays series, edited by Burns Mantle (3), and Variety; (II) Memorabilia in the Theatre Collections of the New York Public Library and the Harvard University Library; (III) Replies to a letter of inquiry sent by the author to leading college and university drama departments and to leading little theatres. Forty colleges and universities and nineteen little theatres

Political science · Historical and Modern Theater Studies · History · Theater, Performance, and Music History