What Does classical theater Mean
The idea of classical theater refers to the set of works of a certain period that reached a great impact and managed to transcend time, becoming an important part of a culture . In general, different types of classical theater are differentiated according to their origin .
In the broadest sense, classical theater is made up of works of a certain age that are still performed for their artistic value . Classical theater is usually considered to be the highest theatrical manifestation: that is why staging is usually reserved for great directors and actors .
Classical Spanish theater is called the one written in Spain during the 16th and 17th centuries , when Spanish culture experienced years of heyday and great repercussion. The works of Lope de Vega , Pedro Calderón de la Barca , Tirso de Molina and Miguel de Cervantes y Saavedra , among other authors, make up the Spanish classical theater.
The classical Greek theater , for its part, is that developed in Ancient Greece . It is common to include works created between the 6th and 2nd centuries BC , which were performed outdoors in the spaces that we know today as Greek theaters .
Sophocles , Euripides , Aeschylus , Menander and Aristophanes are some of the great authors of classical Greek theater. The validity of this theater , which continues to be represented more than two thousand years after its origin, demonstrates the value and importance of classical theater even in today's society, which has customs and interests very different from the old ones.
In Spain there are several classical theater festivals that exist. However, the one that has achieved the greatest prestige, relevance and position worldwide is the International Classical Theater Festival of Mérida, which is the oldest of its kind in the country and which has the particularity that each and every one of its Performances take place in the magical Roman Theater of the city.
During the months of July and August is when this event takes place, which has exceeded sixty editions and has achieved that, over the years, the public has been able to enjoy emblematic and significant interpreters of the scene such as the case of Margarita Xirgú or Francisco Rabal, among others. Likewise, theater fans have been able to discover and enjoy the representation of classic works of literature such as "Lysistrata" or "Oedipus".
However, the Almagro Classical Theater Festival should not be overlooked either. This is celebrated in the town that gives it its name, located in the province of Ciudad Real. It is 38 years old and revolves around what is the aforementioned Spanish Golden Age. And it is precisely that many of its representations are carried out in an old comedy corral of that time, built specifically in 1628, which was recovered and rehabilitated in the 20th century, being cataloged a short time later as a Historic-Artistic Monument.