Ten Spanish Theatre Plays That Make Learning Spanish Interesting for the Young and Old Alike

For those who want to learn Spanish, or simply to hone their Spanish skills, performing a play in Spanish may just be the right thing to do. There are Spanish theatre plays out there that have made the Spanish language not only interesting, but the cultural appreciation of the language and the peoples are also learned. There are ten Spanish theatre plays that make learning Spanish interesting for both the young and the old alike.

Some of these Spanish plays are 400 years old; some are modern ones that were developed for the younger audience. Whatever these plays may be, cultural or childlike in nature, the opportunity to speak a different language is enhanced and it becomes enjoyable as well.

Two of Miguel de Cervantes’s plays, El retablo de las maravillas and the Entremes de los romances, are short one-act comedy plays that have been performed since 1492. That makes these plays about 518 years in existence and it still holds the audience enraptured. The plays are an Emperor's New Clothes kind of story in which some con men come to town and say they have a play to put on, but the only people who will be able to see it are the people who have not been converted to the "new" Christianity. Another of these wonderful Spanish plays is penned by a nun and is supposed to be performed in a religious festival. Sor Juana Ines de la Cruz’s play, written around 1680, 'Los empeños de una casa,' is about a brother and a sister entanglement in the trappings of love and jealousy. The play asks how emotions shape and carve a woman’s pursuit for freedom and education.

The play of Federico Garcia Lorca, ‘El Publico’ has a more contemporary theme. It is a dreamlike play as well as an openly gay play. The point of the play is to advance the social causes of the gay community and this embraces not only the concerns of the individual, but of everyone else’s as well. Performed in Spanish by non-Spanish actors, as well as directed by a non-gay director, makes it a more interesting play that belongs in the ten Spanish theatre plays that make learning Spanish interesting.

The last of the ten Spanish theatre plays that make learning Spanish interesting are the plays that are geared for the children which can be found in a collection of 12 plays, actually. The plays are comedic in nature and the twists and turns of each plot make it interesting for children to follow. The list of plays are as follows: Emergencias en la clase de geografía, Canal PAN-ORAMA, El Libro Perdido, Lola, El Animal Perfecto, La invitación a la fiesta de los quince anos, Arnoldo Enamorado, La Ropa Universal, Cocinamos hoy con Carlos y Carolina, Una tarde con tres amigos, El Restaurante “Los Huevos Fritos,” and Los Quehaceres. The plays, or mini plays are short but the children would love to perform these for the parents and for their classmates as well. These plays are written in present tense with simple flowing dialogues that are easy for children to memorize and perform. The plays, lasting 15 minutes each, are designed for up to 8 child ‘actors,’ includes a guide for a director and would only need minimal props.