Maria Franck

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Maria Franck
Born Maria Kristina Franck
2 February 1769
Sweden
Died 17 April 1847
Sweden
Other name(s) Kristina Ruckman
Spouse(s) Johan Gustav Ruckman

Maria Kristina Franck, later Ruckman, (2 February 1769- 17 April 1847), was a Swedish actor, also known as Kristina Ruckman, who later also became principal of the theatre school Dramatens elevskola. She is considered as her country's first native tragedienne, the successor to Marie Louise Marcadet, (who was, however, of French origin), and predessecor of Sara Fredrica Strömstedt-Torsslow.

[edit] Biography

Born as child of a bricklayer journeyman, Maria Franck was educated as a student in the French theatre in Bollhuset from 1784; she was presented for Jacques Marie Boutet de Monvel as a great natural talent, and he decided to educate her entirely as an actor for speaking parts, not as a singer. Her breakthrough was delayed a couple of years, some historians say this was because of the intrigues and jealousy of some of her colleagues, who stopped her from getting the leading roles.

In 1788, she was finally made premier-actress, and during the regency (1792-1796) she did get her breakthrough, was met with overwhelming enthusiasm in dramatic parts, especially suicide-scenes, and enjoyed a successful career for thirty years as one of the most popular actresses in Sweden; she played not only in Stockholm, but toured the country side as well. In 1788-1803 she was a member of the company formed by the actors themselves who run the theater. She also taught the students at Dramatens elevskola as an instructor of declamation; among her students were future stars such as Sara Torsslow and Charlotta Eriksson.

She was described as acting with a deep feeling and great intensity and a with good control over her mimic that was never melodramatic. Among her parts were "one of the pleasures" in Armide (season 1786-1787), Maria in Gustaf Adolf och Ebba Brahe (1787-1788), The Flattery in Alcides inträde i världen (1793-1794), Theodora in De gamla friarna (1795-1796), Antiope in Renaud (1800-1801), Sabina in Den förmente prinsen (1807-1808), madame de Veronne in Ambroise (1812-1813), Gertrud in Den Schweiziska familjen (1815-1816) and the abbess in Nunnorna.

Her most noted performances was Thilda in "Oden", Celestina and the Abess in "Korsfararne", and the leading parts in "Virginia", "Johanna af Montfaucon" and Fru Dorsan in "Den svartsjuka hustrun"; the lates one, in 1808, was considered her greatest triumph. She also played comedy and opera. She lasted longer than most female members of her generation on the stage, but the last years, her way of acting was considered too theatrical; she acted according to the French tradition, which had then became unfashionable.

In 1808, at the age of thirty-nine, she married the eleven years younger engraver Johan Gustav Ruckman (1780-1862), and some books therefore list her as Kristina Ruckman, though she was in her lifetime known as Mamsell Maria Franck.

In 1818, she retired after having asked for and being granted a full pension, and in 1819-1823 she followed in the footsteps of Anne Marie Milan Desguillons and Sofia Lovisa Gråå and became principal and director for the theatres students at Dramatens elevskola.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

Languages