Thomas Overskou
Encyclopedia
Thomas Overskou was a Danish
actor
, playwright
and theatre
historian
and a titular professor in 1852. His plays are preserved in the Dramatic Collection of the Royal Danish Library.
.
Unlike his slightly younger contemporary Hans Christian Andersen
, Thomas Overskou was born in what was then the societal bottom, and he had to fight a hard battle to come forth in the Danish artistic scene. He was commissioned by the theatre once he had a keen understanding of the requirements for dramatic production. He was not only successful in achieving the position of stage actor in minor roles, and later theatre director, but a number of his original stage plays was performed at the Royal Danish Theatre
. Capriciosa, as well as East Street and Western Street were some of his well known solid successes in the Casino Theatre in Copenhagen.
Overskou's permanent profit happened as theatre historian. His first five-act comedy The Danish stage in its history (1854-64) is a fundamental tool. Also his autobiography entitled Of my life and my time (1868), re-released with notes by Robert Neiiendam (1915-16), is worth reading. Here he tells, among other things, about Copenhagen bombardment
of 1807 which he witnessed at first hand, in addition to the story of how he made a career in the theatre.
Overskou died in Copenhagen in 1873. After his death, a road in the Åløkke Quarter, in central Odense, has been named after him.
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...
, 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...
and theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and a titular professor in 1852. His plays are preserved in the Dramatic Collection of the Royal Danish Library.
Life
Thomas Overskou was born 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...
.
Unlike his slightly younger contemporary Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author, fairy tale writer, and poet noted for his children's stories. These include "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Snow Queen," "The Little Mermaid," "Thumbelina," "The Little Match Girl," and "The Ugly Duckling."...
, Thomas Overskou was born in what was then the societal bottom, and he had to fight a hard battle to come forth in the Danish artistic scene. He was commissioned by the theatre once he had a keen understanding of the requirements for dramatic production. He was not only successful in achieving the position of stage actor in minor roles, and later theatre director, but a number of his original stage plays was performed 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...
. Capriciosa, as well as East Street and Western Street were some of his well known solid successes in the Casino Theatre in Copenhagen.
Overskou's permanent profit happened as theatre historian. His first five-act comedy The Danish stage in its history (1854-64) is a fundamental tool. Also his autobiography entitled Of my life and my time (1868), re-released with notes by Robert Neiiendam (1915-16), is worth reading. Here he tells, among other things, about Copenhagen bombardment
Battle of Copenhagen (1807)
The Second Battle of Copenhagen was a British preemptive attack on Copenhagen, targeting the civilian population in order to seize the Dano-Norwegian fleet and in turn originate the term to Copenhagenize.-Background:Despite the defeat and loss of many ships in the first Battle of Copenhagen in...
of 1807 which he witnessed at first hand, in addition to the story of how he made a career in the theatre.
Overskou died in Copenhagen in 1873. After his death, a road in the Åløkke Quarter, in central Odense, has been named after him.
Literary works
- Preussens og det tydske forbunds faerd imod Danmark (Attributed to Thomas Overskou - Published in 1848 by H.J. Binh, tyrkt hos Kgl. Hofbogtrykker B. Luno in Copenhagen)
- Preussen und der deutsche Bund gegen Dänemark (Attributed to Thomas Overskou - Published in 1848 by C.G. Lorck in Leipzig)
- Den Ondes Besegrare: Folk-Komedi Med Sang I Fem Akter (Published in 1906 by Kessinger Publishing Company )