Karl Friedrich Abt
Encyclopedia
Karl Friedrich Abt was an early German actor
.
Abt began acting in 1766, mostly in southern and south-west Germany. In Biberach, he abducted his wife Felicitas from a reputable family which refused to give her away. She was born in 1746 in Biberach, and gained a reputation as excellent actress and as the first German actress which played the Hamlet
.
Abt ventured through Saxony
and Thuringia
, finally opening up a stage in Den Haag with the support of the Court and the high society on 16 October 1772 with the intention to introduce the young German theatre to the Netherlands. He greatly contributed to popularise the German dramatic literature there. On his stage, Abt played the first translations of Christian Felix Weiße
's Romeo and Juliet and Lessing
's Emilia Galotti
.
After a stay in Düsseldorf
, the historical recordings find Abt again in 1773, travelling in Leiden where he had built a transportable wooden theatre. With this stage he continued travelling to 's-Hertogenbosch, Utrecht
, Kleve
, Nijmegen and finally again to Den Haag where he was ruined by a local competitor. He travelled on to Haarlem
where he finds support from the Friends of the Arts. In Amsterdam his performance was prohibited by the authorities. Abt visited several villages in North Holland, finally Diemer-Meer near Amsterdam where he became very popular.
A severe illness in his family and the theatre company put an end to his luck and forced him to sell the theatre to private investors. Abt himself became artistic supervisor. In 1776 however also this company went bankrupt. He recruited a new troupe and settled in Münster
, visiting Göttingen
, Hanover
, Bremen and other towns in the wider area. He lost the direction of the troupe in 1780, hired a new troupe in 1781 and continued travelling the area. Abt died in Bremen in 1783.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
.
Abt began acting in 1766, mostly in southern and south-west Germany. In Biberach, he abducted his wife Felicitas from a reputable family which refused to give her away. She was born in 1746 in Biberach, and gained a reputation as excellent actress and as the first German actress which played the Hamlet
Hamlet
The Tragical History of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark, or more simply Hamlet, is a tragedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written between 1599 and 1601...
.
Abt ventured through Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
and Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
, finally opening up a stage in Den Haag with the support of the Court and the high society on 16 October 1772 with the intention to introduce the young German theatre to the Netherlands. He greatly contributed to popularise the German dramatic literature there. On his stage, Abt played the first translations of Christian Felix Weiße
Christian Felix Weiße
Christian Felix Weiße was a German writer and pedagogue. Weiße was among the leading representatives of the Enlightenment in Germany and is regarded as the founder of German children's literature.-Life:...
's Romeo and Juliet and Lessing
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing
Gotthold Ephraim Lessing was a German writer, philosopher, dramatist, publicist, and art critic, and one of the most outstanding representatives of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the development of German literature...
's Emilia Galotti
Emilia Galotti
Emilia Galotti is a play in five acts by Gotthold Ephraim Lessing , which premiered on 8 March 1772 in Brunswick . The work is a classic example of German bürgerliches Trauerspiel . Other works in this category include Schiller's Kabale und Liebe and Hebbel's Maria Magdalene...
.
After a stay in Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
, the historical recordings find Abt again in 1773, travelling in Leiden where he had built a transportable wooden theatre. With this stage he continued travelling to 's-Hertogenbosch, Utrecht
Utrecht
Utrecht is a city in the Netherlands.The name may also refer to:* Utrecht , of which Utrecht is the capital* Utrecht , including the city of Utrecht* Bishopric of Utrecht* Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Utrecht...
, Kleve
Kleve
Kleve , is a town in the Lower Rhine region of northwestern Germany near the Dutch border and the River Rhine. From the 11th century onwards, Kleve was capital of a county and later a duchy...
, Nijmegen and finally again to Den Haag where he was ruined by a local competitor. He travelled on to Haarlem
Haarlem
Haarlem is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands. It is the capital of the province of North Holland, the northern half of Holland, which at one time was the most powerful of the seven provinces of the Dutch Republic...
where he finds support from the Friends of the Arts. In Amsterdam his performance was prohibited by the authorities. Abt visited several villages in North Holland, finally Diemer-Meer near Amsterdam where he became very popular.
A severe illness in his family and the theatre company put an end to his luck and forced him to sell the theatre to private investors. Abt himself became artistic supervisor. In 1776 however also this company went bankrupt. He recruited a new troupe and settled in Münster
Münster
Münster is an independent city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the state and is considered to be the cultural centre of the Westphalia region. It is also capital of the local government region Münsterland...
, visiting Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
, Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
, Bremen and other towns in the wider area. He lost the direction of the troupe in 1780, hired a new troupe in 1781 and continued travelling the area. Abt died in Bremen in 1783.