37
THE MEMORY OF A DISAPPEARED
ARCHITECTURAL TYPOLOGY OF THE
POPULAR PERFORMANCE:
THE CIRCUS-THEATRES IN SPAIN
JOSEFINA GONZÁLEZ CUBERO
LEONOR DE MEER GONZÁLEZ
Thea e and ci cus do no need a chi ec u e o be p oduced, bu h oughou
his o y speci ic spa ial s uc u es ha e been c ea ed o hei be e de elopmen .
I G eece i s and he Roman Empi e la e es ablished he models o hea e,
amphi hea e and hippod ome-s adium-ci cus ha con ained speci ic shows,
hey also wi nessed he sub e sion o his a chi ec u al independence, because
he es o hese buildings had o supply hem when hey we e missing. This
was he case in Colonia Clunia Sulpicia, one o he mos impo an ci ies in
no he n Roman Hispania, whe e, lacking an amphi hea e, hea e combined
i s own ac i i y wi h animal shows1.
Th oughou his o y, bo h he deg ees o adap abili y o buildings concei ed
o a speci ic ac i i y and he de ini ion and usion o a chi ec u al ypologies
ha e been exposing he in ica e i ine a y ollowed by he a chi ec u e. A pa h
al eady enuncia ed by he Ame ican an h opologis Al ed Louis K oebe wi h
he analogy o he wo ees, one e e ing o biological e olu ion and o he o
cul u al e olu ion, whose di e ence lies in he pe manen sepa a ion and he
en anglemen wi h union by “ issue-callus” o i s b anches, espec i ely.
1 Disco e ed in exca a ions ca ied ou by Miguel Ángel de la Iglesia and F ansec Tuse , di ec o s o he
Colonia Clunia Sulpicia a chaeological si e.
38
JOSEFINA GONZÁLEZ CUBERO and LEONOR DE MEER GONZÁLEZ
In ou opinion, his is he case o he so-called ci cus- hea es o hea es-ci cus
ha explo ed he in e media e possibili ies in he ield o a chi ec u e and
en e ainmen , he mee ing place be ween he ypes o man de ined by Amia d-
Che el (1983, p.11): he physical man o ac ion and he psychological man o
wo d.
In he Mode n Age and on he pe iphe y o a , he mino and popula o ms
o he spec acle (ci cus, ai hea e, a ie y shows, e c.) p og essi ely acqui ed
a new i ali y, wi h he ci cus a he o e on . I s alued cha ac e is ics we e
he succession o shows wi h a di e en na u e and wi hou logical connec ion,
he o de mo i a ed by in e nal needs ha igno ed he na a i e p ac ice linked
o he ex and he absence o illusionism o he ee ela ionship wi h he
spec a o s. In addi ion, hese shows achie ed a p es ige, which hey p e iously
had no had, when we e ead in ela ion o he a is ic exp essions o o ien al
cul u e, which began o be widely dissemina ed in he Wes e n wo ld om he
19 h cen u y h ough uni e sal exhibi ions.
Bo h e e ences had special ele ance in he a o he 20 h cen u y and we e
also wielded by he cu en s o hea ical eno a ion, whose ma k was eco ded
in he a chi ec u al p oposals and he shows o he a an -ga de and pos -a an -
ga de hea e. As o he ype o shows, we can men ion as examples he “ hea e
o a ac ions” by Eisens ein, A a o and T e yako , he un egula ed hea ical
p ac ices o he coun e cul u e o he 1960s o G o owski’s pa a hea e, among
o he s.
Wi h ega d o buildings, he in luence o he ci cus as a ci cula space in he
20 h cen u y was connec ed wi h he equali y and ecip oci y o he in e ac ion
be ween a is and spec a o , ep oducing he way he c owd spon aneously
ga he ed a ound an e en wi h a poin o equidis an and cen ipe al iew.
Likewise, i had some hing o do wi h he in e ac ion be ween spec a o s who
we e loca ed in he pe ime e s ands a ound he ci cula ing. Gi en ha he 19 h
cen u y was he ime o pano amas, i was also hen when ci cula o polygonal
buildings we e dedica ed o popula leisu e such as ci cuses, whose spec a o s
39
THE MEMORY OF A DISAPPEARED ARCHITECTURAL TYPOLOGY OF THE POPULAR PERFORMANCE
we e o ced o ake a cen i ugal look ha was ansla ed by he cinema og aph
in o he delocalized i uali y o he sc een.
The a chi ec u al mode ni y eabso bed he ci cus space in he G ea Thea e in
Be lin (1919) eno a ed by Hans Poelzig o he s age di ec o Max Reinha d ,
he Endless Thea e (1924) by F ede ick Kiesle o he To al Thea e (1927)
p ojec ed by Wal e G opius o he s age di ec o E win Pisca o . All hese
wo ks exempli y his ances y ha la e eappea ed mo e as an o ganiza ion o
he spec a o s han as an a chi ec u al o m, as in he Théâ e en Rond (1954)
in Pa is by And é Villie s and Paqui a Claude as well as he Thea e in he Round
(1951) by Ma go Jones, jus o name a ew examples.
The p ope mode n ci cus was bo n a he end o he 18 h cen u y in England
om he eques ian a pa ades (1678) o ganized by he excellen ide Philip
As ley a his Hal penny Ha ch iding school in Lambe h, whe e he augh in
he mo ning and pe o med hese shows in he a e noon du ing he summe .
In o de ha he ho ses could be be e obse ed, hey an in a ci cle wi hin a
ough enclosu e, wi hou a oo and nea he indoo a ena o hei aining,
which had no been inspi ed by any ci cula his o ical building. In addi ion,
he demons a ions had o become a massi e spec acle o sus ain hemsel es
economically as a business ac i i y wi h he sale o icke s.
Howe e , he ci cus was no uly p oduced as a show in solida i y wi h space
un il As ley pu oge he eques ian demons a ions wi h ac oba ics and
pan omimes (1770) and he co e ed his Amphi hea e Riding House (1779)
wi h a wood and clo h oo , loca ed a he in e sec ion o S anga e S ee and
Wes mins e B idge Road. Bu , un o una ely, he Royal Ci cus, Eques ian and
Philha monic Academy (1782) o i s close compe i o Cha les Hughes p eceded
he Royal G o e (1783) o As ley in de ining he kind o pe manen ly co e ed
ci cus- hea es.
The e o e, he equi alen p esence o shows o an eques ian na u e and he
addi ions induced he ansi ion om he domain o he ou doo iding a ena,
some imes wi h a s age, o a co e ed cons uc ion, equipped wi h a s age box
40
and p eceded in on o he p oscenium by a ci cus ing, a ci cula elemen ha
As ley inco po a ed despi e he had no in en ed i . The success o his exhibi ions
in F ance allowed him o build se e al ci cus- hea es in Pa is, s a ing wi h he
Nou el Amphi héâ e o Amphi héâ e Anglais (1783), loca ed a 16 and 18 in
he Rue du Faubou g-du-Temple inside u ban block, which had simila eplicas
by o he companies.
The a ie ies we e included in he s age box, while he ci cus o e ed i s
pe o mances in he ci cula ing al eady consolida ed as a symbol, so ha he
pa icula needs o bo h ypes o shows we e sa is ied in he app op ia e place,
bu no limi ed exclusi ely o hem. The pe o mances we e de eloped in each
space o he on al and di ec ional ision o s age box o I alian hea e and o
he ision o he e ical dimension in he ci cus space.
The wo pe o mance spaces, he s age box and he ci cula ack, we e
encompassed wi hin a mo e o less conical oo o dome o s able ci cus- hea es
o clo h en o a eling ci cus- hea es, which a e no he objec o s udy in
his communica ion. Bo h spaces we e usually combined o be used oge he a
he same ime due o hei o igin, e en i hey could also se e only as a hea e
o as a ci cus o ce ain e en s. In he case o being used as a hea e, spec a o s
could be placed in he same ci cus ing as an audience.
As ley’s exhibi ions in F ance ein o ced he Gallic ci cus adi ion ha had i s
splendo wi h pe manen ee-s anding ci cuses. These we e buil in majo ci ies
wi h a cons an p og amming, while in medium-sized ones i was mo e common
o ind ci cus- hea es. The in luence o ci cus- hea es a ec ed ci cuses, which
assumed hei he e ogenei y, some imes ins alling s ages inside hem o di e si y
hei pe o mances.
Hyb idiza ion cha ac e ized he ci cus- hea es ha began o eme ge in Eu ope
a he end o he 18 h cen u y, which eached hei golden age in he las qua e
o he 19 h cen u y and disappea ed a he beginning o he 20 h cen u y. Because
o hei s eng h and e sa ili y, hey compe ed wi h he s able Eu opean I alian
hea es and plunged hem in o se ious c isis, al hough e en ually all o hem
JOSEFINA GONZÁLEZ CUBERO and LEONOR DE MEER GONZÁLEZ
41
we e colonized by he cinema og aph.
In Spain, ci cus- hea es also p oli e a ed all o e i s geog aphy. Ma abosch
app oached he i s o e all app oxima ion, coun ing six y buildings (Ma abosch
Giménez, 2009), bu i is necessa y o con inue in his di ec ion and in es iga e
hem in g ea e dep h and b ead h. This is one o he objec i es o he esea ch
p ojec OEE CARTOTEA, Obse a o y o Scenic Spaces: Thea e Ca og aphy:
Spain, led by An oni Ramón G aells, UPC - and de eloped by he i s au ho
o his pape .
In he i s place, all p ojec s and buildings ha e been loca ed geog aphically
in he na ional e i o y and by empo al laye s. Those wi h he double
denomina ion o hea e-ci cus o ci cus- hea e ha e been included, as well as
hose only named wi h one e m despi e accommoda ing bo h ac i i ies, ge ing
a esul o a ound a hund ed i ems.
Only i e examples o ci cus- hea es ha e su i ed nowadays. Among hem, El
Alga , O ihuela, Mu cia and San a C uz de La Palma pa ially main ain hei
o iginal use since hey a e dedica ed solely o hea e. Jus one, he Albace e
ci cus- hea e, e ains he capaci y o hos p oscenium and ci cus ing shows.
Thei espec i e es o a ions, unde aken be ween he end o he 20 h cen u y
and he beginning o he 21s cen u y, ha e made i possible o deepen hei
knowledge. Howe e , he e is s ill much o be done o pu hem in ela ion o
hose ha ha e disappea ed o no buil and alue hem as a whole as he i age o
memo y in hei jus measu e.
Conside ing hei o igin as a popula spec acle in ci ies wi h a ce ain numbe
o popula ions, Spanish ci cus- hea es we e s able o pe manen buildings, in
some cases o seasonal use and changing loca ion wi hin he same ci y. Like
hei in e na ional con empo a ies, hey we e hea es and ci cuses in unison,
ha is, mul i unc ional and ypologically hyb id buildings. Mos o hem had a
ci cula o polygonal ci cus space, bu no exclusi ely, and we e cha ac e ized by
an i egula cons uc i e quali y.
Fo hei esea ch, a da abase has been de eloped wi h hei cha ac e is ics and
THE MEMORY OF A DISAPPEARED ARCHITECTURAL TYPOLOGY OF THE POPULAR PERFORMANCE

42
he exis ing g aphic and pho og aphic in o ma ion ha se es as a subs a e o
he compa a i e ypological s udy in p og ess (Figu e 1).
P e ious esea ch on he li e o ci cus- hea es in Spain has been ca ied ou
agmen a ily and in an ama eu way by lo e s o he place who collec ed li ed
memo ies. Recen ly, academic esea ch has esul ed in a doc o al hesis (Tido
López, 2016), whose second chap e expands he in en o y o ci cus- hea es
and s udies hem in ch onological-geog aphical o de om a his o iog aphic
poin o iew. Howe e , he e is no ye a monog aphic and pano amic s udy
dedica ed o hem (Figu e 2).
As men ioned, i is also con enien o eco e he memo y o he disappea ed o
he unbuil h ough hei esea ch, because hey a es o a hea ical cul u e o
pas imes and help o unde s and mo e deeply he ypological eno a ion ha
occu ed in mode n hea e a chi ec u e on an in e na ional scale.
O he p oposals and p e ious cons uc ions a e pu in ela ion o he ci cus-
JOSEFINA GONZÁLEZ CUBERO and LEONOR DE MEER GONZÁLEZ
Figu e 1. Ci cus- hea es in Spain. Plans. Au ho s’ compila ion
43
hea es. F om he high a chi ec u al cul u e, such as he ci cus p ojec s o
É ienne-Louis Boullée, o he na ional bull igh ing adi ion, such as he “plazas
de o os” (bull ings).
The esea ch has no o go en o add ess he ami ica ions owa ds o he shows
ha we e ca ied ou in ci cula and/o cen al cons uc ions, like he “galle as”
(coops) o “ eñide os” (pi s) o cock igh ing2. Al hough small in size, hey
p esen ce ain cons an s ha app oxima e hem o ci cuses, in ac , his name is
also used o designa e hem.
Conclusions
The ci cus- hea es we e empo a y o pe manen buildings, wi h an une en
cons uc i e quali y ha we e consolida ed, a he same ime as he pano amas,
2 Cu en ly, cock igh ing is only allowed in Andalusia and he Cana y Islands unde s ic condi ions.
THE MEMORY OF A DISAPPEARED ARCHITECTURAL TYPOLOGY OF THE POPULAR PERFORMANCE
Figu e 2. Ci cus- hea es in Spain. In e io s. Au ho s’ compila ion
44
as cons uc ions dedica ed o leisu e and popula pa a- hea ical shows. Whe eas
hey we e no an objec o in e es o high a chi ec u al cul u e, hey had a g ea
impac in popula cul u e, a oun ain in which he Fine A s d ank and hose
o he s ha ad oca ed he enewal o he scene oo.
The memo y o he ci cus- hea es has been eco e ed by his o iog aphy, bu i is
s ill pending o be eco e ed by a chi ec u e in Spain. Al hough he as majo i y
o hem ha e disappea ed, hey all cons i u e, oge he wi h he bou geois I alian
hea es, he he i age o he hea e li e o ci ies, which has le i s ma k on
u ban a eas in di e en ways. Fo his eason and because hey we e hyb id
a chi ec u al examples, bo n pu ely om a unc ional necessi y, i is essen ial
o conside hem no only as a legacy ha occu ed in pa allel o he o icial
hea ical a chi ec u e, epo ed by his o iog aphy, bu as a undamen al pa o
i and o cu en pe o ming a s.
This wo k was unded by na ional unds h ough FCT - Fundação pa a a Ciência e a Tecnologia, I.P.,
Po ugal, wi hin p ojec UIDB/04041/2020.
P og ama Es a al de I+D+i O ien ada a los Re os de la Sociedad del Minis e io de Economía y
Compe i i idad, España. P ojec OEE CARTOTEA, Obse a o y o Scenic Spaces: Thea e Ca og aphy:
Spain. P ojec leade : An oni Ramón G aells, UPC. BIA 2016-77262-R.
JOSEFINA GONZÁLEZ CUBERO and LEONOR DE MEER GONZÁLEZ
45
THE MEMORY OF A DISAPPEARED ARCHITECTURAL TYPOLOGY OF THE POPULAR PERFORMANCE
Re e ences
AMIARD-CHEVREL, Claudine (1983). “In oduc ion” in Amia d-Che el (ed.), Du Ci que au Théâ e.
Lausanne: L’Age d’Homme, pp.7-15.
KROEBER, Al ed Louis (1948). An h opology. New Yo k: Ha cou B ace Jo ano ich.
JONES, Ma go (1965). Thea e in he Round. New Yo k-London-Sydney-To on o: McG aw-Hill.
MATABOSCH I EIXIMENIS, Genís (2009). “Los Tea o-Ci co en España. Apun es” in La Fac o ía, 39,
ma zo-ab il. Online esou ce h p://www.in oci co.com/a iculo.php?id=1
TIDOR LÓPEZ, Miguel Ángel (2016). Hacia una Fo mación O icial de las A es Ci censes en España.
Doc o al hesis. Uni e sidad de G anada.