A Zarzuela Scene: Circulation and Press in the Social Construction of Género Chico in Chile (19th-20th Century)

Abstract

The present article investigates the role of the press in relation to zarzuela, in particular the género chico (little genre), which was one of the most important mass shows in Chile between the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th. It seeks to unravel both the aspects of promotion of works and stage workers, as well as the critical readings that account for the theatrical and social constructions of an era. The questions that guide this inquiry are fundamentally two: In what way does the professionalization of the press contribute to the construction of the zarzuela as one of the first mass spectacles in the Chile of the period?; and does the zarzuela operate only in its scenic medium, or does it serve its image as a social and political representational element in its broad spectrum?