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Despite the derivative plotlines, crude characterizations, and prioritization of performance over posterity for which scholars have criticized his Cuatro comedias, Lope de Rueda (1505?–65?) received great acclaim among contemporaries. To reconcile this disconnect between abiding popular acclaim in the late sixteenth century and critical dismissals in literary histories, this article draws new attention to his practices as actor-director, where Rueda was the impresario at the helm of a successful itinerant troupe. In particular, analysis here illuminates one key artistic practice, proposing that the structural changes made to Rueda’s Italian sources reveal methods that enabled consistently popular performances. By examining Rueda’s Medora (adapted from Gigio Artemio Giancarli’s La zingana) and Los engañados (from the Accademici Intronati di Siena’s Gl’Ingannati), I argue that Rueda consciously simplified imbroglios and handed control of plotlines to the servants for whose portrayal he was famed. His plays, then, were crafted to enable his direction of temporary cast members onstage during performance. A comparison of these adaptations with one intended for amateurs, the Comedia de Sepúlveda (from Girolamo Parabosco’s Il Viluppo), reveals such changes to be specific to the professional actor-director.
