Imaginarios en torno a la figura del espectador en el Teatro del Pueblo (1931-1943)

Abstract

Created in 1930, Teatro del Pueblo founded a tradition that remained in force for decades, which has been studied as a cultural phenomenon from historical, aesthetic and political-intellectual perspectives. Whether due to its importance within the Argentine theater field as the founder of an ideological line, or due to its particular work methodology, which still finds resonance in the present, Teatro del Pueblo is presented as a key piece for approaching the history of the independent theaters. The objective of this article is to highlight some ideas about the figure of the spectator that circulated within the group of artists and intellectuals that were part of Teatro del Pueblo, based on the analysis of a series of texts published in the magazines that functioned as its official broadcasting organs: Metrópolis. De los que escriben para decir algo (1931-1932) and Conducta, al Servicio del Pueblo (1938-1943). From a perspective of the sociology of culture, we will try to dismantle the conceptual framework that underlies these materials and understand what are the conceptions of spectator, public and people that operate in the imagination of this group, and especially of its director and founder, the writer, journalist and playwright Leónidas Barletta (1902-1975).