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 of the Swedish royal court in
1628-1645, and the founder of the likely first theater in Sweden and
Scandinavia, Björngårdsteatern (1640).Christian Thum was from
Germany, but it is unknown from where. He himself stated that he had
been active in Sweden since 1615, but he is confirmed as such for the
first time in Kalmar in 1624. He performed a theater play for queen
Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg in 1628, and was from that point until
1637 engaged at her court as an actor, though not much is known of his
activity. In 1637, he was transferred to the court of queen Christina
of Sweden and is explicitly named director of the royal court theater:
the regency government regarded a theater as a useful pedagogic method
for the child monarch, and Thum had the monopoly of theater
performances at the royal court. Only fragments is known of the
activity of Thum. It is assumed that he performed English style
theater, which was still the dominating theater in Germany at the
time, though often performed in the German language. The Thum court
theater acted on temporary stages and was an all-male theater company:
the actors of the theater is unknown, but assumed to have been members
of the Hovkapellet, as well as craftsmen from the guild of craftsmen,
which traditionally staged theater performances.Christian Thum bought
the tavern Björngårdsteatern in 1640 and was given permission to
stage theater there, though nothing is known of this activity either.
The last theater performance staged at the royal court by Thum was in
1645: three years later, three foreign theater companies performed in
Stockholm, followed by a number of English, German, Dutch and Italian
companies, and the monopoly of Thum is estimated to have been
discontinued.
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 of the Swedish royal court in
1628-1645, and the founder of the likely first theater in Sweden and
Scandinavia, Björngårdsteatern (1640).Christian Thum was from
Germany, but it is unknown from where. He himself stated that he had
been active in Sweden since 1615, but he is confirmed as such for the
first time in Kalmar in 1624. He performed a theater play for queen
Maria Eleonora of Brandenburg in 1628, and was from that point until
1637 engaged at her court as an actor, though not much is known of his
activity. In 1637, he was transferred to the court of queen Christina
of Sweden and is explicitly named director of the royal court theater:
the regency government regarded a theater as a useful pedagogic method
for the child monarch, and Thum had the monopoly of theater
performances at the royal court. Only fragments is known of the
activity of Thum. It is assumed that he performed English style
theater, which was still the dominating theater in Germany at the
time, though often performed in the German language. The Thum court
theater acted on temporary stages and was an all-male theater company:
the actors of the theater is unknown, but assumed to have been members
of the Hovkapellet, as well as craftsmen from the guild of craftsmen,
which traditionally staged theater performances.Christian Thum bought
the tavern Björngårdsteatern in 1640 and was given permission to
stage theater there, though nothing is known of this activity either.
The last theater performance staged at the royal court by Thum was in
1645: three years later, three foreign theater companies performed in
Stockholm, followed by a number of English, German, Dutch and Italian
companies, and the monopoly of Thum is estimated to have been
discontinued.
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