Åbo Svenska Teater () is a

Finland-Swedish Finland Swedish or Fenno-Swedish (; ) is a Variety (linguistics), variety of the Swedish language and a closely related group of Swedish dialects spoken in Finland by the Swedish-speaking population of Finland, Swedish-speaking population, common ...

theatre in the city of

Turku Turku ( ; ; , ) is a city in Finland and the regional capital of Southwest Finland. It is located on the southwestern coast of the country at the mouth of the Aura River (Finland), River Aura. The population of Turku is approximately , while t ...

Finland Finland, officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It borders Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of Bothnia to the west and the Gulf of Finland to the south, ...

and the oldest theatre in the country, founded in 1839. The building itself is also the oldest still functioning theatre house in Finland. The name means "The Swedish theatre of Åbo"; ''Åbo'' is the Swedish name of Turku.

History

Turku was the capital city of Finland during Finland's epoch as a part of

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...

, and Swedish theatre companies visited Finland during the 18th-century, the first of whom was the Stenborg Troupe in 1761 and the company of Carl Seuerling in the 1780s. There where however, no proper theatre building until the '' Bonuviers Teater'' was erected in the 1810s. When the old theatre was destroyed during the

Great Fire of Turku The Great Fire of Turku (; ; ) was a conflagration in the city of Turku in 1827. It is still the largest urban fire in the history of Finland and the Nordic countries. The city had faced several large fires before, including an especially devast ...

in 1827, there was a need of a new theater house.

1839-1894

The theatre has been located in its present building since 1839, when it was opened by a local amateur society with the play '' Gubben i Bergsbygden'' the 21 January 1839. Later that same year, the theatre house was used by its first professional theatre company, that of

Ulrik Torsslow Olof Ulrik Torsslow (18 December 1801 in Stockholm – 1 September 1881 in Stockholm), was a Sweden, Swedish actor and theatre director. He was an elite actor in the Royal Dramatic Theatre. He is known for leading two big strikes at the roya ...

, and its first professional concert singer,

Betty Boije Betty Natalie Boije af Gennäs (14 February 1822 - 14 November 1854), was a Finnish (originally Swedish) opera and concert singer (contralto) and composer. She was one of eight children of the Swedish nobleman Klas Otto Boije af Gennäs and Mari ...

. In 1843, concerts by Johanna von Schoultz and

Jenny Lind Johanna Maria Lind (Madame Goldschmidt) (6 October 18202 November 1887) was a Swedish opera singer, often called the "Swedish Nightingale". One of the most highly regarded singers of the 19th century, she performed in soprano roles in opera in ...

where both performed on its stage. Prior to 1894, the theatre did not have a permanent staff, as Finland did not have any native actors at this point, and during the 19th-century the theatre house was used by travelling theatre companies from Sweden. The most notable of these were the company of

Pierre Deland Pierre Joseph Deland (13 December 1805 – 13 November 1862) was a Swedish stage actor and theatre director. He was the director of the Deland Theater Company in 1833-1861, a travelling theater famous in both Sweden and Finland, and as such an in ...

, which visited the theatre regularly from 1840 to 1861, as well as the so called "Finnish Company" of Edvard Stjernström, which enjoyed theatre monopoly in Southern Finland in 1850-53. In the 1870s and 1880s, the famed Swedish company of Thérèse Elfforss frequnelty visited the theatre. The first native theatre company performed in the theatre was the company of August Westermark in 1872, though it was not to be until 1894, that the first performance was given by a permanent native ensemble at the theatre.

Activity

The theatre building is owned by Stiftelsen för Åbo Akademi and it is run by Åbo Svenska Teaterförening. The theatre has three formal stages; Stora Scenen, with 365 seats, Studioscenen with 136 seats, and Tiljan-scenen, with a maximum of one hundred seats, as well as local activity.Description of performance spaces
official site

References

External links and sources

* Nordensvan, Georg, Svensk teater och svenska skådespelare från Gustav III till våra dagar. Förra delen, 1772-1842, Bonnier, Stockholm, 1917 *
Nordisk familjebok / Uggleupplagan. 8. Feiss - Fruktmögel
' {{DEFAULTSORT:Abo Svenska Teater Theatres in Finland Buildings and structures in Turku Tourist attractions in Turku Theatres completed in 1839 1839 establishments in Europe 19th century in Turku