The Isabelline Roots of teatro por horas and its Early Repertoire, in Relation to the Origins of the "género chico"

Abstract

The principal historians of the so-called género chico have insistently pointed out the close link between the 1868 Revolution and the birth of teatro por horas in Madrid. For them, the idea of organising theatrical performances by session arose in response to a leisure drive demanded by the new, democratic social order. However, our perspective on the chronology and nature of these events is diametrically opposed, since we consider that teatro por horas emerged as a consequence of the sociocultural reality of the last period of Isabel II’s reign. In this article we purpose to delve into the Isabelline roots of teatro por horas, since –at least from 1866– we can identify theatrical spaces where up to four daily functions were offered. The subject of the repertory of these auditoria –the first género chico– as well as its critical and historiographic reception, will be the other axis on which our text is centred.