Creditors (play)
Encyclopedia
Creditors is a naturalistic
tragicomedy
by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg
. It was written in Swedish
during August and September 1888 in Denmark
. It was first published in Danish
in February 1889 and appeared in Swedish in 1890. It premièred at the Dagmar Theatre in Copenhagen
in March 1889. It is seen as one of Strindberg's most powerful plays. Strindberg himself, writing in 1892, described it as his "most mature work."
In 1891, Strindberg accused Henrik Ibsen
of plagiarising
the play in his Hedda Gabler
(1890): "Hedda Gabler is a bastard of Laura in The Father and Tekla in Creditors," he wrote.
on 9 March 1889 at the Dagmar Theatre in Copenhagen
, under the auspices of his newly-formed Scandinavian Experimental Theatre. A week later, on 16 March, the production was staged in Malmö
. Nathalia Larsen played Tekla, Gustav Wied
played Adolf, and Hans Riber Hunderup played Gustav.
A new production was staged at the Swedish Theatre
in Stockholm
as part of a matinée double-bill with Simoon (a short, 15-minute play), which opened on 25 March 1890. Another production was staged at the Vasa Theatre
in Stockholm, opening on 9 January 1906. Helge Wahlgren, an actor from the Intimate Theatre
, toured a production of the play in the Swedish provinces in the autumn of 1909. The play was staged in Strelitz
as well in the same year. In 1910, August Falck staged a production at the Intimate Theatre in Stockholm, which ran for 21 performances. As part of the celebrations of Strindberg's 63rd birthday, the play was staged in Helsingborg
and Karlskoga
. The Royal Dramatic Theatre
staged it in 1915.
The play received its German première on 22 January 1893 at the Residenz Theatre in Berlin
, under the direction of Sigismund Lautenburg. Rosa Bertens played Tekla, Rudolf Rittner played Adolf, and Josef Jarno played Gustav. It ran for 71 performances. At the end of March 1893, the production was invited for a gala performance in Vienna
. In 1895, the Freie Bühne staged a private performance in Munich
. In 1898, it was staged at the Schauspielhaus in Munich. In 1899, it was produced in Vienna. In the autumn of 1906, a production was staged in Altona
. The play was also staged in Essen
in the autumn of 1910. Another production was staged in Vienna in 1910 as part of a season of Strindberg's plays that also included Playing with Fire, Easter, and Christina. Josef Jarno, who had played Gustav in the Berlin première, directed.
Its French première opened on 21 June 1894, in a slightly abridged version at the Théâtre de L'Oeuvre in Paris
. Aurélien Lugné-Poë
directed and played Adolf. In response to the production's success, Strindberg wrote of his "sense of power... that in Paris, the intellectual centre of the world, 500 people are sitting in an auditorium silent as mice, stupid enough to expose their brains to my powers of suggestion." Lugné-Poë performed this production in Stockholm in October 1894 as part of his Scandinavian tour. Back in Paris, it was repeated at the Cercle St. Simon theatre on 10 December 1894.
The play was first produced in Britain by the Stage Society
at the Prince's Theatre
in London
, in a translation by Ellie Schleussner, opening on 10 March 1912. Miriam Lewis played Tekla, Harcourt Williams
played Adolf, and Guy Standing
played Gustav. It was staged again in London in 1927 and 1952. The 59 Theatre Company staged a translation by Michael Meyer
at the Lyric Opera House
in London, opening on 3 March 1959. It was directed by Casper Wrede and designed by Malcolm Pride. Mai Zetterling
played Tekla, Lyndon Brook
played Adolf, and Michael Gough
played Gustav. The play was also staged at the Open Space Theatre
in London, opening on 22 March 1972. This production was directed by Roger Swaine. Gemma Jones
played Tekla, Sebastian Graham-Jones played Adolf, and Brian Cox played Gustaf. A production at the Almeida Theatre
, which opened on 19 May 1986, was recorded and subsequently broadcast on Channel 4
on 16 March 1988. Suzanne Bertish
played Tekla, Jonathan Kent
played Adolf, and Ian McDiarmid
played Gustaf. This production was directed by its cast members.
The play was produced by the Torquay Company at the Mermaid Theatre in New York
, opening on 25 January 1962. Paul Shyre
directed and David Johnston designed this production. Rae Allen
played Tekla, James Ray played Adolf, and Donald Davis played Gustav. The play was later staged as part of a double-bill with The Stronger by The Public Theater at the Newman Theatre, New York, opening on 15 April 1977. Rip Torn
directed and John Wright Stevens designed this production. Geraldine Page
played Tekla, John Heard played Adolf, and Rip Torn played Gustav. It was also staged by the Classic Stage Company
at its theatre in New York, opening on 27 January 1992. Carey Perloff directed and Donald Eastman designed this production. Caroline Lagerfelt
played Tekla, Nestor Serrano
played Adolf, and Zach Grenier
played Gustav.
Naturalism (theatre)
Naturalism is a movement in European drama and theatre that developed in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It refers to theatre that attempts to create a perfect illusion of reality through a range of dramatic and theatrical strategies: detailed, three-dimensional settings Naturalism is a...
tragicomedy
Tragicomedy
Tragicomedy is fictional work that blends aspects of the genres of tragedy and comedy. In English literature, from Shakespeare's time to the nineteenth century, tragicomedy referred to a serious play with either a happy ending or enough jokes throughout the play to lighten the mood.-Classical...
by the Swedish playwright August Strindberg
August Strindberg
Johan August Strindberg was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist and painter. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg's career spanned four decades, during which time he wrote over 60 plays and more than 30 works of fiction, autobiography,...
. It was written in Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
during August and September 1888 in Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. It was first published in Danish
Danish language
Danish is a North Germanic language spoken by around six million people, principally in the country of Denmark. It is also spoken by 50,000 Germans of Danish ethnicity in the northern parts of Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, where it holds the status of minority language...
in February 1889 and appeared in Swedish in 1890. It premièred at the Dagmar Theatre in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
in March 1889. It is seen as one of Strindberg's most powerful plays. Strindberg himself, writing in 1892, described it as his "most mature work."
In 1891, Strindberg accused Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen
Henrik Ibsen was a major 19th-century Norwegian playwright, theatre director, and poet. He is often referred to as "the father of prose drama" and is one of the founders of Modernism in the theatre...
of plagiarising
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
the play in his Hedda Gabler
Hedda Gabler
Hedda Gabler is a play first published in 1890 by Norwegian playwright Henrik Ibsen. The play premiered in 1891 in Germany to negative reviews, but has subsequently gained recognition as a classic of realism, nineteenth century theatre, and world drama...
(1890): "Hedda Gabler is a bastard of Laura in The Father and Tekla in Creditors," he wrote.
Production history
Creditors was first performed as part of a triple bill with Strindberg's one-act plays Pariah and The StrongerThe Stronger
The Stronger is a famous 1889 play by August Strindberg. The play is quite short, consisting of only one scene that can be performed in approximately 10 minutes. The characters consist of only two women: a "Mrs. X" and a "Miss. Y", only one of whom speak, an example of a dramatic monologue...
on 9 March 1889 at the Dagmar Theatre in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, under the auspices of his newly-formed Scandinavian Experimental Theatre. A week later, on 16 March, the production was staged in Malmö
Malmö
Malmö , in the southernmost province of Scania, is the third most populous city in Sweden, after Stockholm and Gothenburg.Malmö is the seat of Malmö Municipality and the capital of Skåne County...
. Nathalia Larsen played Tekla, Gustav Wied
Gustav Wied
Gustav Johannes Wied was a Danish writer.The fifth of the eleven children of Carl August Wied and Catha Wied, Wied was born in Branderslev near Nakskov....
played Adolf, and Hans Riber Hunderup played Gustav.
A new production was staged at the Swedish Theatre
Swedish Theatre (Stockholm)
The Swedish Theatre in Stockholm was, at the beginning of the 20th century, Sweden's largest dramatic theatre. During its years in use, from 1875 to 1925, it was often considered as Sweden's foremost national theatre...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
as part of a matinée double-bill with Simoon (a short, 15-minute play), which opened on 25 March 1890. Another production was staged at the Vasa Theatre
Vasateatern
Vasateatern or "Vasan" is a private theatre in Stockholm, Sweden. It is located at Vasagatan 19-21 in central Stockholm....
in Stockholm, opening on 9 January 1906. Helge Wahlgren, an actor from the Intimate Theatre
Strindbergs Intima Teater
Strindbergs Intima Teater or Intima teatern, is a theatre stage in Stockholm, Sweden. It was founded and managed by the famous Swedish playwright August Strindberg between the years 1907-1910...
, toured a production of the play in the Swedish provinces in the autumn of 1909. The play was staged in Strelitz
Strelitz
Strelitz refers to:*Mecklenburg-Strelitz, former German duchy*Mecklenburg-Strelitz , former district in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany*Free State of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, state of Weimar Germany*Neustrelitz, city in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany...
as well in the same year. In 1910, August Falck staged a production at the Intimate Theatre in Stockholm, which ran for 21 performances. As part of the celebrations of Strindberg's 63rd birthday, the play was staged in Helsingborg
Helsingborg
Helsingborg is a city and the seat of Helsingborg Municipality, Skåne County, Sweden with 97,122 inhabitants in 2010. Helsingborg is the centre of an area in the Øresund region of about 320,000 inhabitants in north-west Scania, and is Sweden's closest point to Denmark, with the Danish city...
and Karlskoga
Karlskoga
Karlskoga is a locality and the seat of Karlskoga Municipality in Örebro County, Sweden with 27,500 inhabitants in 2005.-Geography:It is located at the northern shore of lake Möckeln, and the small settlement was initially called Möckelns bodar...
. The Royal Dramatic Theatre
Royal Dramatic Theatre
The Royal Dramatic Theatre is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama", founded in 1788. Around one thousand shows are put on annually on the theatre's eight running stages....
staged it in 1915.
The play received its German première on 22 January 1893 at the Residenz Theatre in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, under the direction of Sigismund Lautenburg. Rosa Bertens played Tekla, Rudolf Rittner played Adolf, and Josef Jarno played Gustav. It ran for 71 performances. At the end of March 1893, the production was invited for a gala performance in Vienna
Vienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
. In 1895, the Freie Bühne staged a private performance in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. In 1898, it was staged at the Schauspielhaus in Munich. In 1899, it was produced in Vienna. In the autumn of 1906, a production was staged in Altona
Altona
Altona may refer to:* Altona, Hamburg, Germany** Altona-Nord, Hamburg, Germany*Altona, Illinois, United States*Altona, Indiana, United States*Altona, Manitoba, Canada*Altona , New York, located in Clinton County or...
. The play was also staged in Essen
Essen
- Origin of the name :In German-speaking countries, the name of the city Essen often causes confusion as to its origins, because it is commonly known as the German infinitive of the verb for the act of eating, and/or the German noun for food. Although scholars still dispute the interpretation of...
in the autumn of 1910. Another production was staged in Vienna in 1910 as part of a season of Strindberg's plays that also included Playing with Fire, Easter, and Christina. Josef Jarno, who had played Gustav in the Berlin première, directed.
Its French première opened on 21 June 1894, in a slightly abridged version at the Théâtre de L'Oeuvre in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
. Aurélien Lugné-Poë
Aurélien Lugné-Poe
Aurélien-François Lugné-Poë born Aurélien-François-Marie Lugné was a French actor, theatre director, and scenic designer best known for his work at the Théâtre de l'Œuvre, one of the first theatrical venues in France to provide a home for the artists of the Symbolist Movement at the end of the...
directed and played Adolf. In response to the production's success, Strindberg wrote of his "sense of power... that in Paris, the intellectual centre of the world, 500 people are sitting in an auditorium silent as mice, stupid enough to expose their brains to my powers of suggestion." Lugné-Poë performed this production in Stockholm in October 1894 as part of his Scandinavian tour. Back in Paris, it was repeated at the Cercle St. Simon theatre on 10 December 1894.
The play was first produced in Britain by the Stage Society
Stage Society
The Incorporated Stage Society, commonly known as the Stage Society, was an English theatre society with limited membership which mounted private Sunday performances of new and experimental plays, mainly at the Royal Court Theatre but also at other London West End venues...
at the Prince's Theatre
Shaftesbury Theatre
The Shaftesbury Theatre is a West End Theatre, located on Shaftesbury Avenue, in the London Borough of Camden.-History:The theatre was designed for the brothers Walter and Frederick Melville by Bertie Crewe and opened on 26 December 1911 with a production of The Three Musketeers, as the New...
in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, in a translation by Ellie Schleussner, opening on 10 March 1912. Miriam Lewis played Tekla, Harcourt Williams
Harcourt Williams
Harcourt Williams was an English character actor.-Selected filmography:* Henry V * Brighton Rock * Hamlet * No Room at the Inn * The Lost People...
played Adolf, and Guy Standing
Guy Standing
Commander Sir Guy Standing KBE RNVR was an English actor.-Biography:Standing served in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve throughout the First World War, reaching the rank of Commander. In 1918, he was part of the British War Mission to the United States...
played Gustav. It was staged again in London in 1927 and 1952. The 59 Theatre Company staged a translation by Michael Meyer
Michael Meyer
Michael Leverson Meyer was an English translator, biographer, journalist and dramatist.-Life:Meyer was born in London into a timber merchant family of Jewish origin, and studied English at Christ Church College, Oxford. His first translation of a Swedish book was the novel The Long Ships by Frans...
at the Lyric Opera House
Lyric Hammersmith
The Lyric Theatre, also known as the Lyric Hammersmith, is a theatre on King Street, in the London Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, which takes pride in its original, "groundbreaking" productions....
in London, opening on 3 March 1959. It was directed by Casper Wrede and designed by Malcolm Pride. Mai Zetterling
Mai Zetterling
-Early life:Zetterling was born in Västerås, Västmanland, Sweden to a working class family. She started her career as an actress by the age of seventeen at Dramaten, the Swedish national theater, and appeared in war-era film starting in her teens.-Career:...
played Tekla, Lyndon Brook
Lyndon Brook
Lyndon Brook was a British actor, on film and television.Born in York, Brook came from an established acting family. His father, Clive Brook, had been a star of the silent movies and had moved to Hollywood to play quintessential Englishmen in a host of films...
played Adolf, and Michael Gough
Michael Gough
Michael Gough was an English character actor who appeared in over 150 films. He is perhaps best known to international audiences for his roles in the Hammer Horror films from 1958, and for his recurring role as Alfred Pennyworth in all four movies of the Burton/Schumacher Batman franchise,...
played Gustav. The play was also staged at the Open Space Theatre
Open Space Theatre
The Open Space Theatre was created by Charles Marowitz and Thelma Holt in 1968.It began in a basement on Tottenham Court Road in London, then transferred to an art deco post office on the Euston Road in 1976. Thelma attracted a team of volunteer architects and workers to build the theatre...
in London, opening on 22 March 1972. This production was directed by Roger Swaine. Gemma Jones
Gemma Jones
Gemma Jones is an English character actress on both stage and screen.-Early life:Jones was born in London, England, the daughter of Irene and Griffith Jones, an actor. Her brother, Nicholas Jones, is also an actor...
played Tekla, Sebastian Graham-Jones played Adolf, and Brian Cox played Gustaf. A production at the Almeida Theatre
Almeida Theatre
The Almeida Theatre, opened in 1980, is a 325 seat studio theatre with an international reputation which takes its name from the street in which it is located, off Upper Street, in the London Borough of Islington. The theatre produces a diverse range of drama and holds an annual summer festival of...
, which opened on 19 May 1986, was recorded and subsequently broadcast on Channel 4
Channel 4
Channel 4 is a British public-service television broadcaster which began working on 2 November 1982. Although largely commercially self-funded, it is ultimately publicly owned; originally a subsidiary of the Independent Broadcasting Authority , the station is now owned and operated by the Channel...
on 16 March 1988. Suzanne Bertish
Suzanne Bertish
Suzanne C. Bertish is an English actress.A former member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, Bertish has appeared in many productions with them, including their marathon eight-and-a-half hour version of Charles Dickens's The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, in which she played three roles...
played Tekla, Jonathan Kent
Jonathan Kent (director)
Jonathan Kent is an English theatre director and opera director. He is best known as a director/producer partner of Ian McDiarmid at the Almeida Theatre from 1990 to 2002.-Early life:...
played Adolf, and Ian McDiarmid
Ian McDiarmid
Ian McDiarmid is a Scottish theatre actor and director, who has also made sporadic appearances on film and television.McDiarmid has had a successful career in theatre; he has been cast in many plays, while occasionally directing others and although he has appeared mostly in theatrical productions,...
played Gustaf. This production was directed by its cast members.
The play was produced by the Torquay Company at the Mermaid Theatre in New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, opening on 25 January 1962. Paul Shyre
Paul Shyre
Paul Shyre was an American director and playwright who won a Tony and an Emmy. He is noted for the plays Hizzoner, Will Rogers' USA and The President Is Dead....
directed and David Johnston designed this production. Rae Allen
Rae Allen
Rae Allen is an American stage, film and television actress.-Biography:Allen was born as Raffaella Julia Theresa Abruzzo in Brooklyn, New York, the daughter of Julia and Joseph Abruzzo...
played Tekla, James Ray played Adolf, and Donald Davis played Gustav. The play was later staged as part of a double-bill with The Stronger by The Public Theater at the Newman Theatre, New York, opening on 15 April 1977. Rip Torn
Rip Torn
Elmore Rual "Rip" Torn, Jr. , is an American actor of stage, screen and television.Torn received an Academy Award nomination as Best Supporting Actor for his role in the 1983 film Cross Creek. His work includes the role of Artie, the producer, on The Larry Sanders Show, for which he was nominated...
directed and John Wright Stevens designed this production. Geraldine Page
Geraldine Page
Geraldine Sue Page was an American actress. Although she starred in at least two dozen feature films, she is primarily known for her celebrated work in the American theater...
played Tekla, John Heard played Adolf, and Rip Torn played Gustav. It was also staged by the Classic Stage Company
Classic Stage Company
Classic Stage Company, or CSC, is a classical Off-Broadway theater dedicated to reimagining the classical repertory for a contemporary American audience, presenting plays from the past that speak directly to today's issues. Founded in 1967, Classic Stage Company is one of Off-Broadway's...
at its theatre in New York, opening on 27 January 1992. Carey Perloff directed and Donald Eastman designed this production. Caroline Lagerfelt
Caroline Lagerfelt
Caroline Eugenie "Carolyn" Lagerfelt is a French-born stage, film, and television actress of Swedish descent, long-based in the United States.-Early life and education:...
played Tekla, Nestor Serrano
Nestor Serrano
Nestor Serrano is an American film and television actor. He often portrays authority figures on both sides of the law.Serrano began his acting career in off-Broadway plays in the late 1970s. His first film was the 1986 Tom Hanks comedy The Money Pit...
played Adolf, and Zach Grenier
Zach Grenier
Zach Grenier is an American actor who has worked in film, television and on stage.He appeared in the first season of the television show 24 as Carl Webb, was in Deadwood, and on several episodes of Law & Order...
played Gustav.