Madrid en el Teatro Español del Siglo de Oro

The Biblioteca Regional de la Comunidad de Madrid Joaquín Leguina is hosting an exhibition from 9 October 2026 to 10 January 2027 dedicated to the capital's pivotal role in the development and dissemination of Spanish Baroque theatre.

Curated by Germán Vega García-Luengos and Javier J. González Martínez, the exhibition delves into Madrid's role as the main centre for the creation, performance and international projection of the Comedia Nueva, one of the most significant chapters in Spanish cultural history. The journey highlights how the city brought together fundamental figures of the Golden Age such as Lope de Vega, Tirso de Molina and Calderón de la Barca, as well as authors like Cervantes and Quevedo.

The exhibition also analyses the importance of Madrid as the theatrical hub of the Hispanic Monarchy thanks to its corrales de comedias (open-air theatres), courtly spaces and popular celebrations linked to theatre and the festivities of Corpus Christi. Through oil paintings, manuscripts, scale models, costumes, photographs, videos and digital applications, visitors can discover how the Baroque theatrical phenomenon was shaped and expanded from the capital.

The exhibition brings together items from the Regional Library and other institutions such as the Biblioteca Nacional de España, the Archivo de la Villa de Madrid, the Archivo Histórico de Protocolos and the Compañía Nacional de Teatro Clásico.

Germán Vega García-Luengos is professor emeritus of Spanish Literature at the University of Valladolid and one of the leading specialists in classical Spanish theatre. His research focuses in particular on the Golden Age, the attribution of theatrical texts and digital humanities applied to literary study. Javier J. González Martínez is senior lecturer in Spanish Literature at the University of Valladolid and a specialist in Golden Age theatre, theatrical theory and literary studies linked to classical Spanish dramaturgy.