Anna Catharina Materna
Encyclopedia
Anna Catharina Materna (1731–1757) was a Danish
actor
and playwright
. She belonged to the first pioneer-troupe of actors at the Royal Danish Theatre
, and later became one of the first female playwrights to have her plays performed there.
. It was unusual, and considered a great shame, for a member of nobility to perform on stage, and she took the stage name
Materna to hide her identity.
Anna Catharina Materna was not in reality considered to have much talent as an actor, but she knew how to portray a noblewoman, and was considered perfect for this on the stage, and she became a primadonna of the theatre in such parts, used much as a stage-ornament, and sometimes considered the first to interpret the soubrette
role on the Danish stage. She was the also the subject of many rumors and intrigues among her colleagues, especially from her great rival Anna Dorothea Lund. She was also regarded and talked about as a courtesan
, and had a long list of lovers; in 1753, she was offered an allowance to become a kept woman, negotiations being handled by her mother, and in the same year, she retired from the stage. In her farewell letter to Ludvig Holberg
, which she sent to him when she left the theatre, she said that her colleagues had never let a moment pass which they did not take to embarrass her; she also wrote about them; "I Know I have been more of a burden for them than an asset", but she also thanked Holberg; "For the always towards me directed kindness", and tells him, that: " I have you to thank for a great deal of my happiness, a memory which will always remain with me." The same year, Holberg wrote a code of behaviour for the theatre and lectured those who mistreated their colleagues.
In that year, she instead married the nobleman Christian Albreckt von Passow (but keeping the surname Materna), a marriage that produced a child, which was kept a secret. Passow then left Denmark for Tranquebar
in India
, and, although Materna was meant to follow him, this never came about. Instead, she began a new career as a translator
and writer
of plays. She became one of the first writers in Europe
to use the old Nordic
god
s of her own country, rather than the Roman
gods and goddess
es, in her plays; she stated that she did not see the reason to use Roman or Greek gods, when Denmark had som many of their own. Three of her plays were performed on the stage at the Royal Danish Theatre; she was one of the first native female writers to have her plays performed there.
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...
actor
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
. She belonged to the first pioneer-troupe of actors at the Royal Danish Theatre
Royal Danish Theatre
The Royal Danish Theatre is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first serving as the theatre of the king, and then as the theatre of the...
, and later became one of the first female playwrights to have her plays performed there.
Life and career
Materna was the child of the noble but poor Lieutenant Friedrich von der Luhe, and joined the theatre in 1748 when it advertised for female actors, which were in short supply for the newly opened national stage in CopenhagenCopenhagen
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...
. It was unusual, and considered a great shame, for a member of nobility to perform on stage, and she took the stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
Materna to hide her identity.
Anna Catharina Materna was not in reality considered to have much talent as an actor, but she knew how to portray a noblewoman, and was considered perfect for this on the stage, and she became a primadonna of the theatre in such parts, used much as a stage-ornament, and sometimes considered the first to interpret the soubrette
Soubrette
A soubrette is a female stock character in opera and theatre. The term arrived in English from Provençal via French, and means "conceited" or "coy".-Theater:...
role on the Danish stage. She was the also the subject of many rumors and intrigues among her colleagues, especially from her great rival Anna Dorothea Lund. She was also regarded and talked about as a courtesan
Courtesan
A courtesan was originally a female courtier, which means a person who attends the court of a monarch or other powerful person.In feudal society, the court was the centre of government as well as the residence of the monarch, and social and political life were often completely mixed together...
, and had a long list of lovers; in 1753, she was offered an allowance to become a kept woman, negotiations being handled by her mother, and in the same year, she retired from the stage. In her farewell letter to Ludvig 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...
, which she sent to him when she left the theatre, she said that her colleagues had never let a moment pass which they did not take to embarrass her; she also wrote about them; "I Know I have been more of a burden for them than an asset", but she also thanked Holberg; "For the always towards me directed kindness", and tells him, that: " I have you to thank for a great deal of my happiness, a memory which will always remain with me." The same year, Holberg wrote a code of behaviour for the theatre and lectured those who mistreated their colleagues.
In that year, she instead married the nobleman Christian Albreckt von Passow (but keeping the surname Materna), a marriage that produced a child, which was kept a secret. Passow then left Denmark for Tranquebar
Tranquebar
Tharangambadi is a panchayat town in Nagapattinam district in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, 15 km north of Karaikal, near the mouth of a distributary of the Kaveri River. Its name means "place of the singing waves"...
in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, and, although Materna was meant to follow him, this never came about. Instead, she began a new career as a translator
Translation
Translation is the communication of the meaning of a source-language text by means of an equivalent target-language text. Whereas interpreting undoubtedly antedates writing, translation began only after the appearance of written literature; there exist partial translations of the Sumerian Epic of...
and writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
of plays. She became one of the first writers in Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to use the old Nordic
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries make up a region in Northern Europe and the North Atlantic which consists of Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden and their associated territories, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Åland...
god
God
God is the English name given to a singular being in theistic and deistic religions who is either the sole deity in monotheism, or a single deity in polytheism....
s of her own country, rather than the Roman
Roman mythology
Roman mythology is the body of traditional stories pertaining to ancient Rome's legendary origins and religious system, as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans...
gods and goddess
Goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
es, in her plays; she stated that she did not see the reason to use Roman or Greek gods, when Denmark had som many of their own. Three of her plays were performed on the stage at the Royal Danish Theatre; she was one of the first native female writers to have her plays performed there.