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This dissertation proposes to trace the historical and cultural significance of the emergence of the Teatro del Pueblo, first independent non-commercial theatre in Buenos Aires, from its beginnings in 1930 to the year 1943. In the cultural field of the period, the Theatre, under the direction of Leonidas Barletta, initiated the movement of independent theatres whose educational purposes defined it as an alternative to the commercial institutions that dominated the field. A new concept of theatrical organization and repertory that envisioned a new public, grounded on an ideological and aesthetic concept of the theatre and of culture in general, were the basis of its cultural program.
The Introduction outlines the social and cultural parameters of our study and describes the critical approach based on the Sociology of Culture.
Chapter One sets the historical stage, from 1880 to 1930 within which the social and cultural changes that foreshadow the emergence of the Teatro del Pueblo, in 1930, take place.
Chapter Two dwells on the specific social and cultural changes that prepare the ground for an alternative concept of culture and the theatre.
Chapter Three traces the main theatrical systems, prevalent in the Argentine stage from 1880, which serve as background on and against which Barletta's project is formulated.
Chapter Four deals exclusively with the principles, precedents, organization, expansion, successes, and limitations of Teatro del Pueblo as a theatre and as a cultural fulcrum that initiated a theatrical movement. At the same time it evaluates the cultural role through its multiple intellectual activities.
The conclusion draws implications about the significance, achievements, and scope of its intended objectives.