Vasateatern or ''"Vasan"'' ( English: ''Vasa Theatre'') is a private

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

Stockholm Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

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 ...

. It is located at Vasagatan 19–21 in central Stockholm.

History

The theater was designed by (1837- 1898) and inaugurated in 1886. It was for many years run by theatre director and actor Albert Ranft (1858–1938) who in the early 20th century staged a large number of French and

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

comedy plays. He had personal contact with many of the most popular European comedy playwrights at the time, including

George Bernard Shaw George Bernard Shaw (26 July 1856 – 2 November 1950), known at his insistence as Bernard Shaw, was an Irish playwright, critic, polemicist and political activist. His influence on Western theatre, culture and politics extended from the 188 ...

, and successfully had a great number of contemporary comedy plays translated and staged in Sweden. Plays such as

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

's ''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, a Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde, the last of his four drawing-room plays, following ''Lady Windermere's Fan'' (1892), ''A Woman of No Importance'' (1893) and ''An Ideal Husban ...

(Mr Ernst)'', Shaw's '' You Never Can Tell (Man kan aldrig veta)'' and ''

Major Barbara ''Major Barbara'' is a three-act English play by George Bernard Shaw, written and premiered in 1905 and first published in 1907. The story concerns an idealistic young woman, Barbara Undershaft, who is engaged in helping the poor as a Major in ...

'', and ''Jack Straw'' by

W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

. Popular French playwrights at the theatre included

Georges Feydeau Georges-Léon-Jules-Marie Feydeau (; 8 December 1862 – 5 June 1921) was a French playwright of the Belle Époque era, remembered for his farces, written between 1886 and 1914. Feydeau was born in Paris to middle-class parents and raised in a ...

and Georges Berr. Works by

August Strindberg Johan August Strindberg (; ; 22 January 184914 May 1912) was a Swedish playwright, novelist, poet, essayist, and painter.Lane (1998), 1040. A prolific writer who often drew directly on his personal experience, Strindberg wrote more than 60 pla ...

were also produced at the Vasateatern. Over the years it has produced most of the classic farces and comedies. Historic long-runners from the 1950s to the 1980s include ''

Charley's Aunt ''Charley's Aunt'' is a farce in three acts written by Brandon Thomas. The story centres on Lord Fancourt Babberley, an undergraduate whose friends Jack and Charley persuade him to impersonate the latter's aunt. The complications of the plot in ...

'', the stage version of '' Cactus Flower'' and '' The Spanish Fly (Die spanische Fliege)'', the popular 1914 German farce by

Franz Arnold Franz Arnold (1878–1960) was a German actor and playwright. He frequently collaborated with Ernst Bach as a duo after their debut play '' The Spanish Fly'' was a hit.Grange p.61 He emigrated to Britain in 1933. Plays by Arnold and Bach *'' Th ...

and

Ernst Bach Ernst Bach (10 May 1876 – 1 November 1929) was an Austrian actor and playwright. He made his debut as an actor at the Raimund Theater in Vienna in 1899. In 1903 he moved to Berlin to the , then to the in 1905, where he became Regisseur in 1906 a ...

. Swedish actor

Krister Henriksson Jan Krister Allan Henriksson (born 12 November 1946) is a Swedish actor. He is best known for playing Kurt Wallander in the television films based on the novels by Henning Mankell. Early life Henriksson was born in Grisslehamn, Norrtäl ...

used to be the co-owner and theatre director. The theatre closed in 2009 in connection with an extensive renovation of the block that was transformed into Scandic Grand Central Hotel. Large parts of the interior of the theatre was taken down while the auditorium was used as storage during the construction. Parts of the theatre's former premises have been occupied by the hotel business. The theatre cafe was integrated with the hotel and converted into the bistro. After the property is sold by the developer Diligentia to Norwegian real estate management company KLP Eiendom. The theater lounge was saved, and after a major renovation, the theater operations resumed in the fall of 2016 with Joe Labero's show ''A Magic World''. The parlor now seats 320 on the parquet floor and 150 on the balcony. After the new opening, the theater has also been used extensively as a concert venue.

References

External links

Vasateatern.se
(official site ) Theatres in Stockholm 19th-century theatre 20th-century theatre Theatres completed in 1886 1886 establishments in Sweden 19th-century establishments in Stockholm {{Sweden-theat-struct-stub