To learn about interesting aspects that characterized theater in Venezuela during the colonial period, it is essential to consult the work of the Venezuelan theater critic Leonardo Azparren Giménez: Overview of Venezuelan theater in the Cologne", summary of the first part of his work (2019): Critical history of theater Venezuelan (1594-1994). This summary is published in digital version with an illustration by Manuel Mendive entitled: “Slave ship”.
On one of the pages of this interesting essay, Leonardo Azparren tells us:
«It is a commonly accepted opinion that the Spanish brought with them to the territory that would become America their idiosyncrasies, their language, and their religion, but they also brought customs and popular festivals, including theater. Therefore, it should not be surprising that in the small settlement that was Caracas in 1594, dances and comedies were performed according to their customs… On June 28, 1600, to prepare for the feast day of the patron saint, Saint James the Apostle, on July 25, it was decided to celebrate that day with jousting tournaments and bullfights, and a comedy in the plaza… The minutes of the Caracas City Council from the 16th century mention dances and comedies as festivities to celebrate the religious festivals of Corpus Christi and Saint James, the patron saint… On June 6, 1594, the City Council approved a dance, and on May 5 of the following year (1595), a dance and a comedy.
Furthermore, this Venezuelan theater critic comments that theater served as a link for establishing a culture/origin and producing the mestizaje or Venezuelan cultural hybridization. He also asserts that the records of the 16th century, unlike those of the 17th century, do not mention Indigenous people, mulattos, or Black people.
Azparren asserts that in the 17th century, public festivals facilitated the coexistence of different castes and races in processions, with their cultural expressions, primarily dances and other theatrical and folkloric forms. In other words, events such as bullfights, jousting tournaments, and comedies provided opportunities for entertainment, even for temporary escape from daily hardships.
Leonardo Azparren divides the contents of this Overview of Venezuelan theater in the colony in the following manner: Renaissance theatricality; Norms and controls; Overview of the 18th century; The Baroque spectacle; Theatrical genres and repertoire; Social factors and religious norms; The final days of theater in the colony; The final repertoire; The periodic demarcation.
Regarding the control measures observed in colonial theater in Venezuela, this author tells us that the first regulations were dictated by Bishop Diego de Baños y Sotomayor in the Synodal Constitutions, promulgated by the Diocesan Synod between August 31 and September 6, 1687. On this aspect, we consider it appropriate to also mention the decrees issued by Bishop Mariano Martí, to impose restrictions against performances of comedies in Caracas (1772), Maracaibo (1774), Carora (1776), El Tocuyo and Trujillo (1777); Boconò and Guanare (1778), Barquisimeto (1779) and Calabozo and San Felipe (1782).
Regarding the sites or places where performances took place, Azparren refers to the article: Theaters in Caracas over more than three centuries, Published in El Tiempo (March 31, 1898). In this article, its author, Manuel Landaeta Rosales, says the following:
These were small, open-air stages, lit by starlight and crude oil lamps fueled by animal fat. Sometimes they were set up around the main square, which we now call Plaza Bolívar, and other times in the center of it, using wood, rope, fabric, and other items borrowed from the neighbors. Small stages were also erected in other private homes where the conquistadors, their families, and friends entertained themselves.
Likewise, browsing through the pages of this Overview of Venezuelan theater in the colony We can read that Venezuela had to wait until 1784 to have its first theater building, "El Coliseo," which was built between the corners we know today as El Conde and Carmelitas in the city of Caracas. This theater was built by order of Manuel González Torres de Navarra, governor and Captain General, who raised funds for this purpose by selling boxes to wealthy families. The land where "El Coliseo" was built belonged to Don Fernando Ignacio Ascanio. Comedies were performed in this theater, and professional, paid performances began to emerge in the performing arts. Classic plays of Spanish drama by Lope de Vega, Calderón de la Barca, Antonio de Solís, and others were staged there.
In this summary, Yépez Azparren chooses 1817 to mark the end of the colonial period, considering it a notable and significant change in dramaturgy, consisting of new themes. He also considers that year crucial in the war of independence with the arrival of General Pablo Morillo and his army. On July 31, 1817, Morillo confronted the patriotic troops on Matasiete Hill in Margarita, where he was defeated. Shortly afterward, Gaspar Marcano wrote:The meeting of the Spaniard Pablo Carrera with the patriot Francisco Machuca in the heights of Matasiete.” It should be noted that this writing by Gaspar Marcano is considered the first republican text and an exaltation of the triumph of the patriotic forces against Pablo Morillo. It could be argued that the construction of the National Theater began with this significant event.
Reading Leonardo Azparren's work on theater in colonial Venezuela undoubtedly motivates us to reflect on a series of details that shaped the practice of the performing arts in Venezuela during the colonial era. This is especially true when he states in the following excerpt:
The removal of dances performed by Indians, blacks, and mulattos, besides hindering the development of a richer theatricality rooted in emerging cultural models, denotes the hegemony of the Venezuelans and the institutionalization of theatricality according to European model codes.
We recommend consulting the work of this critic and researcher of Venezuelan theater history. Let us not forget that memory, too, is staged in the pages of our history.
