Theatre History Overview - Part 34 - Peruvian Theatre

Theatre history in Peru goes back to Incan culture. Inca religious celebrations used drama and theatrics. However, there aren't any well-known records of this. It is known that in the 14th century, Christians used theatre to teach the Incans about the Christian religion through the same methods they used in their religious services.

It is thought that 1568 is the year of the first real play that was performed in Peru. This was at the San Pedro plaza in Lima. Puppet theatre grew as a popular form of entertainment between the 16th and early 17th centuries so that by 1625, Lima had two puppet theatres. By 1735, Incan theatrical stories were being translated into Spanish. One of these stories is Ollantay. However, theatre suffered when half the population of Lima was wiped out in 1746 due to an earthquake.

In 1879, Peru's independence from Spain was formally recognized. From that time to 1954, theatre was one of Peru's strongholds. It is estimated that 12- different playwrights wrote over 400 different plays that were performed in Lima over those years.

The 1970s were a time that new playwrights emerged in Peru. This allowed for many quality plays to be performed in the 1980s. By the end of the 20th century, Peru's government offered small subsidies for theatre groups and there were also over 100 plays performed during the theatre season. Peru's theatre is still strong today. There are a variety of performances ranging from traditional to modern to experimental along with dance and music.

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