Margareta Seuerling
Encyclopedia
Margareta Seuerling, née
Lindahl, (1747–1820), was a Swedish
actress and Theatre director in a travelling theatre company, perhaps the most known travelling actress of her time in Scandinavia
, active in both Sweden and Finland. She was one of the very first, perhaps the first, to introduce secular theatre in Finland; her family and its company represents a large part of the theatre-history in Sweden and Finland.
and Margareta Maria Fabritz, who belonged to the first generation of Swedish actors at the theatre of Bollhuset
and was both members of the board of directors of the theatre. She herself became the second generation of Swedish-speaking actors; before this time, only foreign actors had performed in Sweden, but between 1737–1753, the first Swedish actors were allowed to perform in the theater of Stockholm
.
In 1753, the Swedish actors were fired by queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia
, who replaced them with a French theatre company. The Swedish company split in two; one, the Stenborg Troupe
under Petter Stenborg
, who performed on smaller stages in Stockholm, and the second under Johan Bergholtz (who died 1774) and her father, Peter Lindahl, who was given royal permission to play in the countryside, touring the countryside as a travelling theatre-company; it was the biggest travelling theatre company in Sweden, and from 1760, he dominated the stages of the city of Gothenburg
, whose first real theater, Comediehuset
, was not built until 1779. Among his actors were many actors earlier active at the theater of Bollhuset, such as Johanna Catharina Enbeck, "madame Gentschein" and Petter Öberg, both later members of Petter Stenborg
s company, and Catharina Sophia Murman, the wife of Johan Bergholt'z, who left the troupe with her husband in 1755, when Lindahl's partnership with the more adventurous Bergholtz, who was arrested for seduction, was broken.
Margareta performed in her parents' troupe as a child in the 1750s, it is not known exactly from when, but in 1795, she herself stated that she had been on the stage for forty years, which would mean that she had performed since 1755; since the age of eight.
, Holberg
and Shakespeare, and she became the first Swedish-speaking Juliet
in "Romeo and Juliet
" in Norrköping
the 5th August in 1776, and they also performed the first play by Calderon in the Swedish language in 1784.
They toured in both Sweden and Finland, and even performed at the Swedish court on at least one occasion, and were popular among the public, but often had financial difficulties and problems with irregular staff - during periods of staff-shortage they were forced to use dolls on stage. One of the many temporary members of their staff was Martin Nürenbach
, who performed with them during the 1767-1768 season and then went to Norway, were he started the first (though short-lived) theater in Oslo
in 1771-1772.
for the audience in the pauses, and when Carl Seuerling died in 1795, Margareta Seuerling took over the troupe as their director. She left Sweden and toured around in Finland, where they were no theatre and where she spent the rest of her career. She could be regarded as the founder of the first Finnish theatre tradition; Swedish troupes had performed in Finland before, such as the Stenborg troupe in the 1760s, and her husband's troupe in the 1780s, but this had been temporary; her troupe was, though a travelling troupe, stationed in Finland. Her troupe performed in Turku
during 1803.
Seuerling had seven children. She was the mother of the blind singer and harpsichordist Charlotta Seuerling
, whom she sent to Stockholm for education, where she made great success in the salons. Her older daughter, Carolina Fredrika Seuerling, was also an actress, but she married a vicar in 1789. During the war between Sweden and Russia 1808-09, she performed at the frontiers, sometimes with Swedish consent, sometimes with Russian; when Finland was conquered by Russia in 1809, she stayed on.
Her daughter Charlotte returned in 1810, and helped her financially; when was in financial trouble in 1811, they were both placed under the protection of the Empress Dowager of Russia.
Margareta Seuerling retired in 1813 and died in Helsingfors seven years later.
NEE
NEE is a political protest group whose goal was to provide an alternative for voters who are unhappy with all political parties at hand in Belgium, where voting is compulsory.The NEE party was founded in 2005 in Antwerp...
Lindahl, (1747–1820), was a Swedish
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
actress and Theatre director in a travelling theatre company, perhaps the most known travelling actress of her time in Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
, active in both Sweden and Finland. She was one of the very first, perhaps the first, to introduce secular theatre in Finland; her family and its company represents a large part of the theatre-history in Sweden and Finland.
Background and childhood
Born as the daughter of Peter LindahlPeter Lindahl
Peter Lindahl , was a Swedish stage actor and theatre director. He belonged to the most known of the pioneer generation of actors at the first Swedish theatre....
and Margareta Maria Fabritz, who belonged to the first generation of Swedish actors at the theatre of Bollhuset
Bollhuset
Bollhuset, also called ', ', and ' at various times, was the name of the first theater in Stockholm, Sweden; it was the first Swedish theater and the first real theater building in the whole of Scandinavia. The name "" means "The Ball House", and it was built in 1627 for ball sports and used in...
and was both members of the board of directors of the theatre. She herself became the second generation of Swedish-speaking actors; before this time, only foreign actors had performed in Sweden, but between 1737–1753, the first Swedish actors were allowed to perform in the theater of 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...
.
In 1753, the Swedish actors were fired by queen Louisa Ulrika of Prussia
Louisa Ulrika of Prussia
Louisa Ulrika of Prussia was Queen of Sweden between 1751 and 1771 as the spouse of King Adolf Frederick of Sweden, and queen mother during the reign of King Gustav III of Sweden.-Background:...
, who replaced them with a French theatre company. The Swedish company split in two; one, the Stenborg Troupe
Stenborg Troupe
The Stenborg troupe was a Swedish Theatre Comedy troupe, active in Sweden and Finland in the 18th century. It was also called Stenborgska skådebanorna , Svenska komeditruppen and Svenska Comedien or Svenska Teatern...
under Petter Stenborg
Petter Stenborg
Petter Stenborg was a Swedish actor and theater director who played an important role of the continuation of the native speaking theater in Sweden...
, who performed on smaller stages in Stockholm, and the second under Johan Bergholtz (who died 1774) and her father, Peter Lindahl, who was given royal permission to play in the countryside, touring the countryside as a travelling theatre-company; it was the biggest travelling theatre company in Sweden, and from 1760, he dominated the stages of the city of Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, whose first real theater, Comediehuset
Comediehuset
Comediehuset or Sillgateteatern was a Swedish theatre, the first real Public theatre in Gothenburg. It was located at the corner of Sillgatan, the Herring-street and Nedre Kvarnbergsgatan and active from 1779 to the 1830s...
, was not built until 1779. Among his actors were many actors earlier active at the theater of Bollhuset, such as Johanna Catharina Enbeck, "madame Gentschein" and Petter Öberg, both later members of Petter Stenborg
Petter Stenborg
Petter Stenborg was a Swedish actor and theater director who played an important role of the continuation of the native speaking theater in Sweden...
s company, and Catharina Sophia Murman, the wife of Johan Bergholt'z, who left the troupe with her husband in 1755, when Lindahl's partnership with the more adventurous Bergholtz, who was arrested for seduction, was broken.
Margareta performed in her parents' troupe as a child in the 1750s, it is not known exactly from when, but in 1795, she herself stated that she had been on the stage for forty years, which would mean that she had performed since 1755; since the age of eight.
Married life and career
In 1768, her father's troupe was taken over by her husband, the German actor Carl Gottfried Seuerling, whom she married the same year; his little German troop had united with her father's in about 1760. After this, they performed a lot in Stockholm, and also in Finland, especially between 1780–1790, were they were among the first theatre-troupes to perform. Her husband was very ambitious and upheld a high standard in the plays, often performing famous plays from the continent, such as plays by MolièreMolière
Jean-Baptiste Poquelin, known by his stage name Molière, was a French playwright and actor who is considered to be one of the greatest masters of comedy in Western literature...
, Holberg
Ludvig Holberg
Ludvig Holberg, Baron of Holberg was a writer, essayist, philosopher, historian and playwright born in Bergen, Norway, during the time of the Dano-Norwegian double monarchy, who spent most of his adult life in Denmark. He was influenced by Humanism, the Enlightenment and the Baroque...
and Shakespeare, and she became the first Swedish-speaking Juliet
Juliet Capulet
Juliet is one of the title characters in William Shakespeare's tragedy Romeo and Juliet, the other being Romeo. She is the daughter of old Capulet, head of the house of Capulet. The story has a long history that precedes Shakespeare himself....
in "Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet
Romeo and Juliet is a tragedy written early in the career of playwright William Shakespeare about two young star-crossed lovers whose deaths ultimately unite their feuding families. It was among Shakespeare's most popular archetypal stories of young, teenage lovers.Romeo and Juliet belongs to a...
" in Norrköping
Norrköping
Norrköping is a city in the province of Östergötland in eastern Sweden and the seat of Norrköping Municipality, Östergötland County. The city has a population of 87,247 inhabitants in 2010, out of a municipal total of 130,050, making it Sweden's tenth largest city and eighth largest...
the 5th August in 1776, and they also performed the first play by Calderon in the Swedish language in 1784.
They toured in both Sweden and Finland, and even performed at the Swedish court on at least one occasion, and were popular among the public, but often had financial difficulties and problems with irregular staff - during periods of staff-shortage they were forced to use dolls on stage. One of the many temporary members of their staff was Martin Nürenbach
Martin Nürenbach
Martin Nürenbach, or Nurembach , was a German acrobat, actor, dancer, tight-rope-dancer and theatre director, active in Sweden, Norway and Finland...
, who performed with them during the 1767-1768 season and then went to Norway, were he started the first (though short-lived) theater in Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
in 1771-1772.
Sole director
In 1792, her husband retired to his property outside Örebro, where the parents of Margareta also settled, and the troupe was taken over by actor Johan Peter Lewenhagen; however, Lewenhagen was treathened with the confiscating of his licence when he played the La MarseillaiseLa Marseillaise
"La Marseillaise" is the national anthem of France. The song, originally titled "Chant de guerre pour l'Armée du Rhin" was written and composed by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle in 1792. The French National Convention adopted it as the Republic's anthem in 1795...
for the audience in the pauses, and when Carl Seuerling died in 1795, Margareta Seuerling took over the troupe as their director. She left Sweden and toured around in Finland, where they were no theatre and where she spent the rest of her career. She could be regarded as the founder of the first Finnish theatre tradition; Swedish troupes had performed in Finland before, such as the Stenborg troupe in the 1760s, and her husband's troupe in the 1780s, but this had been temporary; her troupe was, though a travelling troupe, stationed in Finland. Her troupe performed in Turku
Turku
Turku is a city situated on the southwest coast of Finland at the mouth of the Aura River. It is located in the region of Finland Proper. It is believed that Turku came into existence during the end of the 13th century which makes it the oldest city in Finland...
during 1803.
Seuerling had seven children. She was the mother of the blind singer and harpsichordist Charlotta Seuerling
Charlotta Seuerling
Charlotta Seuerling or Charlotte Seuerling , was a blind Swedish concert singer, harpsichordist, composer and poet, known as "The Blind Song-Maiden". She was active in Sweden, Finland and Russia. Her last name is also spelled as Seijerling and Seyerling...
, whom she sent to Stockholm for education, where she made great success in the salons. Her older daughter, Carolina Fredrika Seuerling, was also an actress, but she married a vicar in 1789. During the war between Sweden and Russia 1808-09, she performed at the frontiers, sometimes with Swedish consent, sometimes with Russian; when Finland was conquered by Russia in 1809, she stayed on.
Her daughter Charlotte returned in 1810, and helped her financially; when was in financial trouble in 1811, they were both placed under the protection of the Empress Dowager of Russia.
Margareta Seuerling retired in 1813 and died in Helsingfors seven years later.
See also
- Petter StenborgPetter StenborgPetter Stenborg was a Swedish actor and theater director who played an important role of the continuation of the native speaking theater in Sweden...
- Elisabeth LillströmElisabeth LillströmLisa or Elise Lillström, née Söderman was a Swedish stage actor and opera singer, one of the first professional native female actors in Sweden, mother of Elisabeth Olin, née Lillström...
- Charlotta DjurstromCharlotta DjurströmHedvig Charlotta Djurström, née Hoffman, , was a Swedish actor. She was the most well known female country-side actors in Sweden in the first half of the 19th century, called "The Jeanne d'Arc of the Country-side" after her most famous part.- Biography :In the early 19th century, only the biggest...
- Therese ElfforssThérèse ElfforssAntoinette Thérèse Elfforss, née Öberg, , was a Swedish actor and theatre director. She was one of the most famous country-side actors in the 19th century, and was during the 1870s and 1880s called the most successful theatre-director of her country...
- Karl Gustav BonuvierKarl Gustav BonuvierKarl Gustav Bonuvier, , was a Swedish actor and theatre director, active in Sweden and Finland. He is remembered for having founded the first theatre house in Finland.- Biography :...