Lisbeth Cathrine Amalie Rose
Encyclopedia
Lisbeth Cathrine Amalie Rose (née Böttger) (25 September 1738 – 23 February 1793) was a Danish
actress, one of the very first professional native actresses in Denmark and also the greatest actress in 18th century Denmark. She was also a translator and a playwright
.
visited her father's shop and asked her sister to work in the newly established Royal Danish Theatre
, Det Kongelige, in Copenhagen
; she declined, but Lisbeth asked if she could come instead. She was accepted and debuted on the stage as Pernille in Holberg's play "Kildererejsen" in 1752. The theatre had been founded only four years earlier, and only five other actresses were employed there: Utilia Lenkiewitz, Anna Catharina Materna
, Caroline Thielo
and Anna Dorothea Lund. In the absence of any theatre school, Lisbeth learned from her colleagues and her own talent. When Anna Catharina Materna left the theatre in 1753 and Caroline Thielo died in 1754 she quickly rose to became the primadonna of the theatre; in 1756: she was given the same salary as Utilia Lenkiewitz
and Anna Dorothea Lund, and she was the first actress to have a carriage and a private maid paid for by the theatre. Danish society was not accustomed to this degree of public exposure and the profession of actress was not yet respectable; a result was that Lisbeth acquired a reputation among her contemporaries for arrogance.
She enjoyed great popularity, but also experienced great pressure, being given parts in everything from comedy to tragedy, from both Danish and French
plays; until 1760, she was also a dancer, as no distinction had yet arisen between actors and dancers in Denmark. She translated plays from French and German
to Danish for the theatre, and she also wrote plays; her first play had its first performance in 1772 with herself in the leading role. In 1762, the theatre school was founded and she became the first female instructor; among her pupils were Caroline Halle-Müller, who became a famous actress in both Denmark and Sweden
.
In 1779 she married her colleague Christopher Pauli Rose, with whom she had had an affair long before. He died in 1784. She gave her last performance in 1792 and died the year after in poverty: the theatre had to pay for her funeral.
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...
actress, one of the very first professional native actresses in Denmark and also the greatest actress in 18th century Denmark. She was also a translator and a 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...
.
Biography
In 1751, Ludvig HolbergLudvig 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...
visited her father's shop and asked her sister to work in the newly established 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...
, Det Kongelige, 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...
; she declined, but Lisbeth asked if she could come instead. She was accepted and debuted on the stage as Pernille in Holberg's play "Kildererejsen" in 1752. The theatre had been founded only four years earlier, and only five other actresses were employed there: Utilia Lenkiewitz, Anna Catharina Materna
Anna Catharina Materna
Anna Catharina Materna 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.-Life and career:Materna was the child of the noble but poor Lieutenant...
, Caroline Thielo
Caroline Thielo
Caroline Amalie Thielo was a Danish actress, one of her country's first professional native female actors, and said to be the first actress ever employed at the Royal Danish Theatre in Copenhagen...
and Anna Dorothea Lund. In the absence of any theatre school, Lisbeth learned from her colleagues and her own talent. When Anna Catharina Materna left the theatre in 1753 and Caroline Thielo died in 1754 she quickly rose to became the primadonna of the theatre; in 1756: she was given the same salary as Utilia Lenkiewitz
Utilia Lenkiewitz
Utilia Lenkiewitz was a Danish actress, one of the very first of her profession from Denmark, and a member of the pioneer-troupe of the Royal Danish Theatre.-Early life and career:...
and Anna Dorothea Lund, and she was the first actress to have a carriage and a private maid paid for by the theatre. Danish society was not accustomed to this degree of public exposure and the profession of actress was not yet respectable; a result was that Lisbeth acquired a reputation among her contemporaries for arrogance.
She enjoyed great popularity, but also experienced great pressure, being given parts in everything from comedy to tragedy, from both Danish and French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
plays; until 1760, she was also a dancer, as no distinction had yet arisen between actors and dancers in Denmark. She translated plays from French and German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
to Danish for the theatre, and she also wrote plays; her first play had its first performance in 1772 with herself in the leading role. In 1762, the theatre school was founded and she became the first female instructor; among her pupils were Caroline Halle-Müller, who became a famous actress in both Denmark and Sweden
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....
.
In 1779 she married her colleague Christopher Pauli Rose, with whom she had had an affair long before. He died in 1784. She gave her last performance in 1792 and died the year after in poverty: the theatre had to pay for her funeral.
Sources
- Jørgensen, Lisbet: Rose, Lisbeth Cathrine Amalie. Dansk Kvindebiografisk Leksikon . Retrieved on 5 August 2007.
- http://bjoerna.dk/Holberg/Brandes-2007-Biografier-Extra.htm#A(nna?)%20D(orothea?)%20Lund