Many of the stories that were produced in the early years of television in Latin America were based on works of what was known in the region as ‘universal’ literature and theatre. The writers of these ‘teleteatros’ [teleplays] adapted the most influential European and North American novels from the 19th century (i.e., Dickens, the Brontë sisters, Balzac, Tolstoi, Dostoyevsky, James, and Poe), as well as contemporary authors (i.e., Genet, Williams, Albee, and O’Neill). What results unique is that this practice coexists with the adaptation of Latin American narrative traditions–including folk tales, and novels and plays by local authors–as well as works written directly for the small screen. Latin American audiences in the 1950s were presented with a range of themes and stories that would never be emulated.
All these “teleteatros” were broadcast live.
