Karolina Bock

Infobox actor
name = Karolina Bock


imagesize =
caption =
birthname = Karolina Sofia Richter
birthdate = 1792
location = Sweden
deathdate = 1872 (aged c. 80)
deathplace = Sweden
height =
othername = Karolina Svanberg
homepage =
spouse = J. G. Svanberg, K. F. Bock

Karolina Sofia Bock née Richter, (1792-1872), was a Swedish dancer, actor and singer. She also became principal for the Dramatens elevskola for two periods; in 1831-1834 and 1841-1856. She was the most known female comedian in her country during her years at the stage.

Biography

Karolina Richter, child of musician C.J. Richter, was educated at Dramatens elevskola in Stockholm between 1806 and 1809, under the principal Sofia Lovisa Gråå. Many of the girls graduating from the school between 1804 and 1812, when Gråå was principal, became famous in Sweden, and were commonly called "The Girls of Gråå"."

Karolina worked at the theatres Djurgårdsteatern and Nya Komiska Teatern before she was hired at the Royal Dramatic Theatre in 1814. She worked there for fifty years, and became one of the most popular actors there, but she never became a star because of the parts she played; she always played old women in comedies, never heroines and therefore seldom main parts. She was very well used as an actor and never lacked parts to play, but she was not given main parts. It was said, that she had a rare quality; she knew her own limitations.

Her most popular parts were in the plays "Min tante Aurore", "Bildhuggaren", "Brodertvisten", "Syrsan", "Preciosa", "Jane Eyre" and "Mäster Smith".

She was principal for Dramatens elevskola two times; the first time from 1831 to 1834, and the second time from 1841 to 1856. She was also instructor in declamation there. She was the third woman to be principal for the famous school; Anne Marie Milan Desguillons had been the first in 1793-1800, but she was principal together with her husband. Sofia Lovisa Gråå had ben the first woman who was principal of this school alone (in 1804-1812). Among her students where Emilie Högquist and Jenny Lind. She was instructor of declamation and famed for her skill to teach the correct distinctuion of the language in both song and speach, and it was said that all her students had the same distinction, one she had presented to the school. Karolina Bock was a good teacher, but unlike her own teacher, Sofia Lovisa Gråå, she was very strict and firm with her students, so much so that her students rebelled and had her deposed from her position as principal in 1856. She continued to work as an actor until 1863, and was described as a "theatre original". "The Bock woman" had a fierce temperament. The year after she was deposed by the direction as a principal, she was given the task to teach the Danish guest actress Charlotte Bournonville (daughter of August Bournonville) Swedish, which she did so well that Bournonville could perform soon after as a native Sweden in the part of Fatima in Oberon, were she made success. When the direction thanked Bock for this, she "gave them such a load of barking that they quickly retired".

Karolina Bock was married twice. In 1813, she married J.G. Svanberg, a violinist at the royal chapel, and in 1826 she married K.F. Bock, who played the flute in the royal chapel. She had a daughter, Bertha Tammelin, who became an actor, singer, composer, musician and a teacher at Dramatens elevskola.

Karolina Bock was rewarded the medal "Litteris et Artibus" in 1857.

References

* [http://runeberg.org/nfbc/0459.html Nordisk familjebok]
* Österberg, Carin et al., "Svenska kvinnor: föregångare, nyskapare". Lund: Signum 1990. (ISBN 91-87896-03-6)
* http://runeberg.org/sqvinnor/0054.html
* "Svenska män och kvinnor"
* George Nordensvan, "Svensk teater och svenska skådespelare, från Gustav III till våra dagar, Första boken, 1772-1842"
* Lars Löfgren, "Svensk teater"