Divine Spectacle: Staging Noah's Ark in Baroque Sevillea

Abstract: This essay examines the biblical comedia titled El arca de Noé , written collaboratively by Jerónimo de Cancer, Antonio Martínez de Meneses, and Pedro Rosete Niño, within the context of its 1644 performance at the Corral de la Montería in Seville. La Montería was a royal theater built within the Alcázar of Seville and differed significantly from the typical corral de comedias of the time. Attending to the uniqueness of this city and playhouse provides insight into the reception of El arca de Noé there. My analysis focuses on two aspects of the 1644 staging. First, I describe the various theatrical effects called for in the play, some of which would have been more difficult in a public corral , but for which the Montería's construction and stage machinery were ideal. Second, I examine the references within the dialogue that, as I argue, would have been understood at the time as references to Seville and La Montería.