Royal Dramatic Theatre
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The Royal Dramatic Theatre or in Swedish Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern, colloquially known in Sweden as Dramaten, is Sweden's national stage for "spoken drama". Around one thousand shows are played annually on the theatre's eight running stages.
The theatre has been at its present location in the Art Nouveau building in Nybroplan, Stockholm since 1908. The theatre was built by the architect Fredrik Lilljekvist. Famous artists like Carl Milles and Carl Larsson were involved in making the decorations, and some of the interior decorations were made by Prince Eugen.
The theatre's acting school, Dramatens elevskola, produced many actors and directors who would go on to be famous, including Gustaf Molander (who also taught there), Alf Sjöberg, Greta Garbo, Signe Hasso, Ingrid Bergman, Gunnar Björnstrand, Max von Sydow, and Bibi Andersson. The school was split off as a separate institution in 1967 (see Swedish National Academy of Mime and Acting).
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[edit] History
Sweden's national stage for dramatic art; spoken drama, was established by King Gustav III in 1788. It was then that the Royal Theatre (Kungliga Teatern) in Sweden was officially split in two, and the Royal Theatre (today known as the Royal Swedish Opera) became thereafter solely an opera stage. For spoken drama a new theatre was built specifically, called Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern - the Royal Dramatic Theatre, to distinguish it from the Royal Theatre; the opera stage.
The Royal Dramatic Theatre was built in 1788 and placed directly opposite the opera house of the Royal Theatre at Kungsträdgården in Stockholm, with a park in the middle separating the buildings. Here the Royal Dramatic Theatre remained up until 1907, and it was here new dramas of the 19th Century were performed; the pioneer plays of Ibsen and Chekov, as well as August Strindberg's late dramatic works, for example Till Damaskus (To Damascus).
But at the beginning of the 1900s the theatre was run down and in desperate need of renovation and a more modern, functional stage. From the 1880s the national stage had suffered heavy competition from several new private theatres in Stockholm, in particular the Svenska teatern (Swedish Theatre) which was run by the charismatic theatre personality Albert Ranft.
Many of the original Swedish stagings of Ibsen's plays had been produced at the Swedish Theatre instead of the national stage, as well as new German and French dramatic work, and the national stage was at same time being accused of being old, dusty and over-crowded. Heavy discussions in the press were being held on the subject of how to renew the national stage at Kungsträdgården. Many proposals suggested different rebuildings, but King Oscar II was not satisfied with any of the suggestions. Instead, the decision was soon made to completely tear down the old theatre building and to build a new, bigger, fresh and more modern one at a more suitable location. From the 1850s onwards, Stockholm as a city and as Sweden's definitive capital had changed considerably as had its centre. The new location that was eventually picked out for the new Royal Dramatic Theatre; Nybroplan, was closer to what was then becoming the heart of Stockholm, beautifully situated by the waterfront.
Fredrik Lilljekvist was appointed head architect, and on February 18th 1908 the national stage's new theatre building at Nybroplan opened with Strindberg's new play Mäster Olof. This building is the present Royal Dramatic Theatre. Here the legendary theatre directors; brothers Olof and Gustaf Molander, Alf Sjöberg and Ingmar Bergman formed the Swedish theatre and helped shape Sweden's theatrical history with their 20th century stagings.
When mentioning the national stage in Sweden, you generally speak of the old Royal Dramatic Theatre (meaning Kungliga Dramatiska Teatern that was located at Kungsträdgården 1788-1907) and then the new/present Royal Dramatic Theatre, a.k.a Dramaten, located at Nybroplan since 1908 ("Dramaten" is not used when referring to the old Royal Dramatic Theatre).
[edit] Stages
Dramaten currently houses eight stages:
- Stora scenen - the main stage, since 1908 (720 seats)
- Lilla scenen - the second stage, since 1945; renovated and re-opened in 2000 (340 seats)
- Målarsalen - since 1971; a former painting studio for theatrical scenery (160 seats)
- Tornrummet - the small, intimate stage; stage formerly used by the old Royal Dramatic Theare's acting school (60 seats)
- Lejonkulan - Young Dramaten; Dramaten's regular stage for school plays
- Stora Elverket - stage for contemporary/new-written dramatic work
- Lilla Elverket - above (the smaller stage at Elverket)
- Strindbergs Intima Teater - August Strindberg's own 1907 built theatre, re-opened and run by Dramaten since 2002
[edit] Managing Directors
of the Royal Dramatic Theatre (Dramaten):
- (since 2002) - Staffan Valdemar Holm
- (1997-2002) - Ingrid Dahlberg
- (1986-1997) - Lars Löfgren
- (1985-1985) - Ingvar Kjellson
- (1981-1985) - Lasse Pöysti
- (1975-1981) - Jan-Olof Strandberg
- (1966-1975) - Erland Josephson
- (1963-1966) - Ingmar Bergman
- (1951-1963) - Karl Ragnar Gierow
- (1948-1961) - Ragnar Josephson
- (1938-1948) - Pauline Brunius
- (1934-1938) - Olof Molander
- (1928-1934) - Erik Wettergren
- (1922-1928) - Tore Svennberg
- (1910-1922) - Tor Hedberg
- (1908-1910) - Knut Michaelson
of the old Royal Dramatic Theatre:
- (1904-1907) - Gustaf Fredriksson
- (1898-1904) - Nils Personne
- (1888-1898) - Gustaf Fredriksson
- (1883-1888) - Anders Willman
- (1881-1883) - Henrik Westin
- (1866-1881) - Erik Vilhelm af Edholm
- (1861-1866) - Eugène von Stedingk
- (1860-1860) - Daniel Hwasser
- (1856-1860) - Gunnar Olof Hyltén-Cavallius
- (1852-1856) - Knut Bonde
- (1848-1852) - Svante Gustaf Schyberg
- (1844-1848) - Hugo Adolf Hamilton
- (1840-1844) - Svante Gustaf Schyberg
- (1838-1840) - Karl David Forsberg (financial director)
- (1838-1844) - Alexis Baeckman (director of scenery)
- (1832-1838) - Per Westerstrand
- (1831-1832) - Bernhard von Beskow
- (1827-1831) - Karl Johan Puke
- (1823-1827) - Gustaf Lagerbjelke
- (1818-1823) - Gustav Fredrik Åkerhielm
- (1818-1818) - Crown Prince Oscar
- (1818-1818) - J.P. Törner
- (1812-1818) - Gustav Löwenhielm
- (1810-1812) - Anders Fredrik Skjöldebrand
- (1804-1810) - Abraham Niklas Clewberg-Edelcrantz
- (1798-1804) - J. Hugo Hamilton
- (1792-1798) - Klaes Rålamb
- (1788-1792) - Gustaf Mauritz Armfelt
[edit] See also
- Stockholm City Theatre (Stockholms stadsteater)
- Gothenburg City Theatre (Göteborgs stadsteater)
- Malmö City Theatre (Malmö stadsteater)
- Helsingborg City Theatre (Helsingborgs stadsteater)
- Västernorrland Region Theatre (Teater Västernorrland)
- Gävleborg Region Theatre (Länsteatern i Gävleborg)
[edit] External links
- DRAMATEN - The Royal Dramatic Theatre (official website)
- Dramaten's current repertoire.
