Spanish playwright Alfonso Sastre (1926 -) started his career in 1945 and wrote plays focusing on social problems such as workers' resistance, the patriarchal society, and the suppression of speech and emotions. However, Ana Kleiber, written in 1995, is different from his other works; its theme is tragic love, and in the play, the author attempts various experiments which were not common at the time in Spanish theatre.

This paper analyzes the experimental elements of Ana Kleiber and studies their dramatic effects. Firstly, the realistic opening scene is examined to clarify the author's intention behind the simultaneous conversations carried out between three groups on stage.

Secondly, the temporal-spatial leaps of the characters' narrations are studied, demonstrating that Sastre applied the concept of Gerard Genette's narratology. Another point of discussion is the power balance among the three characters' narrations.

Finally, the embedded structure of this play is analyzed. Because a love story is nested within the narration of a young German, who has a conversation with Sastre the playwright, this play can be defined as a metatheatre. Furthermore, the metatheatrical elements are studied, paying attention to the main character, an actress who plays herself and her colleague within the play, as well as the dramatic structure in which the character Sastre plans to write a play called Ana Kleiber based on the story narrated by the young German.