At the dawn of the 17th century, theater achieved transcendental progress in Spain and Latin America, a development that had been underway since the previous century. During this period, many new theatrical forms (puppets, operas, and ballets) emerged in Europe, and others continued to develop, having emerged in the preceding five-year period; all this as a result of experiments undertaken by writers.

Numerous playwrights flourished, including the Spaniard Tirso de Molina, who established the character of Don Juan. His fellow countrymen, Lope de Vega and Calderón de la Barca, also stood out. In France, Molière excelled, whose plays were highly successful. In Latin America, we find the Mexicans Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz and Juan Ruiz de Alarcón.

In France, the Hôtel de Bourgogne, with a capacity of around two thousand spectators, was the only theater in Paris until 1634, when other venues were built. In that year, seventy-seven plays, including tragicomedies, comedies, pastorals, and tragedies, were performed at the Hôtel de Bourgogne. A farce was performed after a long piece, followed by a cheerful song at the end. A small orchestra was in charge of entertaining the audience during the intermissions.

Women began working in French theater in the first third of the 17th century. In this nation, a method of acting with specific rules and regulations appeared for the first time in the history of theater.

In Italy and France, in the middle of this century, theatrical performances achieved resounding success, and large theaters began to be built. Around this time, large theaters were built in Italy for the performance of opera, which emerged in the late 16th century. These buildings featured a large stage and proscenium, a horseshoe-shaped stalls, and a large number of boxes (located in rows along the interior walls of the theater), providing private seating areas. From the boxes, the view of the stage was very poor.

Spanish drama underwent a profound transformation over the course of this five-year period. The autos sacramentales progressively acquired greater technical perfection. The greatest exponent of autos in Spain was Pedro Calderón de la Barca (1600-1681), author of eighty autos sacramentales and who, from 1649 onwards, was the sole author of these works. El gran teatro del mundo (The Great Theatre of the World) is among the most widely distributed. Other notable figures included Félix Lope de Vega (1562-1635) and Friar Gabriel Téllez (Tirso de Molina, 1579-1648).

Performances of sacramental plays in Spain were funded by the government and took place outdoors in the city of Madrid. Later, they began to be performed in public squares, on four carts. In 1765, the genre was banned by decree of Charles III.

In the 17th century, plays accompanied by music were known as masquerades. Aside from music, masquerades also featured poetry and dance. The actors represented mythological characters and wore masks.

After the French Revolution, the theatrical genre of melodrama became fashionable in Europe. During this period, in France, it became a significant pastime for the masses. It enjoyed great popularity during this period in England, especially in the royal courts. Audience participation was one of the most important contributions of this genre.

Among the most notable authors are John Fletcher and John Milton. Inigo Jones, a prominent 17th-century architect and stage designer, contributed greatly to the technical perfection of this genre with his costume and stage designs.

As for the music of the masquerades, Alfonso Ferrabosco stood out, a composer who collaborated with Jonson and Jones from 1605 to 1612, and composed the music for Masquerade of Darkness (1605) and Masquerade of Beauty (1608).

The masquerade quickly died out in England, but it survived for another century at the royal courts of France and other European countries. Many of its characteristics were incorporated into other forms of entertainment, such as ballet, opera, and mime.

Another important and very popular theatrical genre of the 17th century was the mojigangas; plays that prioritized spectacle over the textual plot. The term “mojiganga” referred to plays whose characters wore ridiculous costumes. They were short, carnival-style dramatic pieces characterized by their burlesque content and the characters’ unusual costumes.

Among the cultivators of mojigangas we can mention Calderón de la Barca, Ramón Montero, Francisco Antonio Monteser, Francisco de Castro and Vicente Suárez de Deza.

They used loud, popular musical instruments. Mojigangas were performed in the streets during Carnival festivities on highly decorated floats. During the show, attendees were asked to wear masks and dance alongside the actors, thus becoming part of the choreography. They enjoyed great popularity in Spain during this period.

Pantomime continued with the Harlequinade during this century, which was a form developed from the Commedia dell’arte in which the adventures of Harlequin, his lover, Colombina, and her father, Pantaleon, were presented in nations such as France and England.

The Harlequin scene in 17th-century London was preceded by a scene in which actors mimed and danced, representing stories from classical mythology or fairy tales, culminating in the transformation of the main character into Harlequin.