Carl Gottfried Seuerling (1727-1795) was a German born, Swedish stage
actor and theater director. He was the director of the Seuerling
theater Company in 1768-93 and as such the leader of one of only two
professional Swedish language theater companies in Sweden of the
era.Carl Seuerling was originally from Germany and arrived to Sweden
as the leader of a travelling theater company in 1760. He married the
Swedish actress Margareta Seuerling (1747â€"1820) in 1768 and took
over the theater company of her father, Peter Lindahl (1712â€"1792).
The Seuerling travelling theater company performed all over Sweden and
Finland, and was in many parts they visited the first theater
performing. Historically, they have not been described as a theater
company of great quality - they often experienced a shortage of staff,
inexperienced actors and performed in conditions which did not give
the chance of high quality scenery, the strong German accent of Carl
Seuerling was caricatured, and anecdotes of failed performances
circulated, particularly among the upper classes. However, these
judgement are likely overreactions from an elite audience used to the
theatres in the capital; in the provincial press, the company are
often given positive reviews, and they were popular among the public
in the towns and the countryside in which they toured, playing a
pioneering role in Swedish theater history.Seuerling introduced the
works of William Shakespeare on the Swedish stage by staging the first
performance of Romeo and Juliet at the Egges theater in Norrköping 5
August 1776, with himself and his wife in the main parts.
actor and theater director. He was the director of the Seuerling
theater Company in 1768-93 and as such the leader of one of only two
professional Swedish language theater companies in Sweden of the
era.Carl Seuerling was originally from Germany and arrived to Sweden
as the leader of a travelling theater company in 1760. He married the
Swedish actress Margareta Seuerling (1747â€"1820) in 1768 and took
over the theater company of her father, Peter Lindahl (1712â€"1792).
The Seuerling travelling theater company performed all over Sweden and
Finland, and was in many parts they visited the first theater
performing. Historically, they have not been described as a theater
company of great quality - they often experienced a shortage of staff,
inexperienced actors and performed in conditions which did not give
the chance of high quality scenery, the strong German accent of Carl
Seuerling was caricatured, and anecdotes of failed performances
circulated, particularly among the upper classes. However, these
judgement are likely overreactions from an elite audience used to the
theatres in the capital; in the provincial press, the company are
often given positive reviews, and they were popular among the public
in the towns and the countryside in which they toured, playing a
pioneering role in Swedish theater history.Seuerling introduced the
works of William Shakespeare on the Swedish stage by staging the first
performance of Romeo and Juliet at the Egges theater in Norrköping 5
August 1776, with himself and his wife in the main parts.
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