Masculinity, precariousness and mental distress in Catalan drama

This article examines the representation of male distress in contemporary Catalan theatre through Nerium Park by Josep M. Miró and Breu introducció al western ( A Brief Introduction to Western ) by Joan Yago. Both plays address the affective and social consequences of labour precarity within the context of neo-liberal capitalism, focusing on depression, isolation, violence and suicide as symptoms of the collapse of hegemonic masculinity. Taking an interdisciplinary approach that combines gender studies, affect theory and cultural criticism, the article argues that these plays not only give visibility to the suffering of bodies and subjects deemed disposable by the system but also challenge the individualist discourse that depoliticizes mental health. Theatre, thus, emerges as a space of denunciation and resistance, capable of articulating a critique of neo-liberalism as an affective regime and of urging us to imagine alternative forms of relationality, community and dignified life beyond the meritocratic ideal.