Björngårdsteatern ('Bear's Yard Theater'), also called Christian Thums Commedi-huus ('Christian Thum's Comedy-house') and Theums Spelehus ('Theum's Play-house'), was a

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The perfor ...

in Stockholm in Sweden, active between 1640 and 1655. It was possibly the oldest theatre in

Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...

, but the information is scarce and it is unconfirmed if the theater permit was in fact used. It was in any event a popular tavern managed by

Christian Thum Christian Thum also known as även von Thum, Thumb, Theun and Thun (d. 1655), was a Swedish (originally German) actor and theater director. He belongs to the earliest identifiable professional actors active in Sweden, was the leader of the theater ...

History

In 1637, Christian Thum (d. 1655) bought the ''Björnegården'' ('Bear's Yard') at

Södermalm Södermalm, often shortened to just Söder, is a district and island in central Stockholm. Overview The district covers the large island of the same name (formerly called ''Åsön''). Although Södermalm usually is considered an island, wa ...

at St Paulsgatan and Björnegårdsgatan in Stockholm. The house was named "Bears' Yard" because it was a local since long used for

Blood sport A blood sport or bloodsport is a category of sport or entertainment that involves bloodshed. Common examples of the former include combat sports such as cockfighting and dog fighting, and some forms of hunting and fishing. Activities character ...

and

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the N ...

bait Bait may refer to: General * Bait (luring substance), bait as a luring substance ** Fishing bait, bait used for fishing Film * ''Bait'' (1950 film), a British crime film by Frank Richardson * ''Bait'' (1954 film), an American noir film by Hu ...

ing. Christian Thum was from Germany and had since 1628 been active in Sweden as the leader of a German theater company: from 1637 until 1645, he was the leader of the theater of the royal court of queen

Christina of Sweden Christina ( sv, Kristina, 18 December ( New Style) 1626 – 19 April 1689), a member of the House of Vasa, was Queen of Sweden in her own right from 1632 until her abdication in 1654. She succeeded her father Gustavus Adolphus upon his deat ...

. On 15 August 1640, Christian Thum was given a royal permit to manage a "Comedy House" (theater) in the ''Björngården''. However, there is no information of the theatrical activity at ''Björnegårdsteatern''. There is little information even of the theatrical activity of Thum at court, even though that is confirmed to have taken place. His theater at court was an all-male company of actors, who is assumed to have been requited from the Stockholm craftsmen, as there were a tradition of theater performances among the craftsmen guilds, as well as from members of the ''

Hovkapellet Kungliga Hovkapellet (, "The Royal Court Orchestra") is a Swedish orchestra, originally part of the Royal Court in Sweden's capital Stockholm. Its existence was first recorded in 1526. Since 1773 it is part of the Royal Swedish Opera's company. K ...

''. It is assumed that the theater of Thum at ''Björnegårdsteatern'' would be similar to his theater at court.Dahlberg, Gunilla (1992). Komediantteatern i 1600-talets Stockholm. Stockholm: Komm. för Stockholmsforskning. Whether the theater at ''Björnegårdsteatern'' functioned or not, Thum is confirmed to have used the localities as a tavern, which does not exclude a theater in the house. The tavern at ''Björnegården'' continued to be one of the more well known and popular taverns in Stockholm until it was destroyed in 1877.

References

Notiser ur Stockholms historia

* Dahlberg, Gunilla (1992). Komediantteatern i 1600-talets Stockholm. Stockholm: Komm. för Stockholmsforskning. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bjorngardsteatern Former theatres in Stockholm 1640 establishments in Sweden 17th century in Sweden 1640 in Sweden 17th century in Stockholm 1877 disestablishments in Sweden Swedish Empire Christina, Queen of Sweden

History

See also

References