Networks of Power in Local Politics: The Graeco-Roman Theatre Festival of Malaga (1959–1983)

Abstract The accidental discovery of the Roman theatre of Malaga and its artistic legacy in the second half of the twentieth century serve as a case study in local heritage management and cultural appropriation in Spain. The socio-political dynamics and artistic impact of this discovery gave rise to an alternative cultural discourse centred on classical heritage. It also fostered a new theatrical event, the Graeco-Roman Theatre Festival of Malaga, featuring original productions, reworkings of classical dramas, and modern plays, some of which introduced to Spanish audiences for the first time, under Ángeles Rubio-Argüelles’s direction. The theatre’s unique urban setting and the complex political power relations surrounding the monument—especially in the 1970s—sparked a distinct social debate in the local cultural landscape. The festival not only reflected the social and political realities of the time but also engaged with them through its theatrical productions and the discourse it inspired. I position the artistic tradition that developed around the festival within the broader network of social relations, institutions, individuals, and material culture that shaped the theatre’s social biography.