SVENDBORG THEATER
Centrumpladsen 10

Svendborg theatre is an exact replica of the old Dagmar theatre in Copenhagen, which unfortunately is long gone. When the two theatres were alike the actors often had diffi-culty in knowing with which theatre they were playning in when they were on tour in Svendborg. Telephone 62 21 08 24

The history of the theatre starts in 1897 where it was build. But before this theatre there hav been several theatres and places where there were entertainment. A description in a diary from the first half of 17th century on 30 november 1809 tells of an invitation to a comedy evening in the towns hall on 3 december. Before this document there are non about any performances. Although there have been touring groups of entertainers. The diary also tells that the actors stayd here eigth days.

On 28 january 1812 the diary tells of the theaterlife again. That a drama team has arranged a theater at host Madam Boergesen in Fruerstræde (anne Hvides yard), where they would be playing for the first time that evening. It was set up in the two connecting yards, Anne Hvides yard (today a museum) and the torn down "Boergesen yard". The theater was in the last mentioned and the audiens were in the first mentioned. All on second floor. It could hold 250 people and if one wanted to see the show one had to pay three marks as a member or four as non-member.

In the local archives in Odense is a document about this performing team (1812-27). It says that the team consisted of 125 members with important citizens in the top. Among them Madam Boergesen offcause. It was a large scale project which went well because according to the document there were lots of activity in the team every winter when they where playing paeces of Holberg or Heiberg. Small and big and plentiful. Often they played for cherity purposses fx for the poor in Svendborg. The document stops in 1827 and it is believed the team stopped that year also.

The next 15 years the teater was leaced to touring teams. That is all that is known because the city didn't have a newspaper before 1842. Though there are signs of change of residence to the town hall in these 15 years, because after 1842 there are several adds fr plays performed in the town hall. About this time there were also some ideas of building a new theater. Among other, Madam Boergesen offered to arranged one if the citizens would support her financially, but it never happened. For several years they kept arranging ferformances in the town hall.

Finally in 1853 the dream of building a real theater came true. Tanner N. P. Rostgaard was nthe head of the project and on 18 january the initiation took place. In spite of the draft and coldness in the theater, it had many guests. Sometimes there were sold out. The flaws were soon fixed and the theater decorated additional inside. Apparently the many guests and performances wasn't enough because in 1855 it was out for sale. In december it got new manegement. It was renewed a bit. It now looked like it would have succes be-cause the number of teams increased and in 1858 the lower floor was put in use for auction and conference room for the reconciliation commission.

"Apollo" - the building which contained svend-borg theater 1854-1894. Torn dawn in 1961.

The exterior of the theater wasn't anything special. Et was a big gray box like building with primitive arrangements. But the scene is mentioned as being very beatiful - as the royal theater's.

The repetoire was huge and had many plays from 1842-1880'ties of different writers from east to the west. Often it was Holberg, Heiberg and Hostrup's plays.

In 1894 the theater in Svendborg had come to an end. Allready since its beginning there were great fire hazards. This had apparently become to big or there had become more focus on fire hazads during the years, because the fire hazards of the theater wasn't accepted anymore. In the end of 1894 it was closed at a big feast the 31 december with two plays and a finishing speach by manager Lehman. 40 years of succesfull theater was over.

The Apollo theater about 1930. Here isarranged for a Palm garden evening.

Svendborg was now without a theater. Once in a while dilettants were playing in 'Borgerforeningen' on the other side of the road or in the summer theater in 'Rottefælden'.
Furtunately it didn't last long. On 3. august the theater association, established by 'Borgerforeningen' (Citizen union), decides to have a new theater build. With help from the citizens and the municipality they manage to build one on their own ground and also expand their building. A bit over 113,000 kr. was what they could get from loan, minicipality and shares. It was drawn by architect Hofman in Svendborg and Schwanenflygel in Odense. The new theater was probably the best provincial theater at that time in Denmark. It had 550 seats and all equipment needed in a theater.

On the 29. october 1897 it was initiated at a large dinner party. Among the guest was Brockenhuus-Schack. After dinner the chairman Odgeir Stephensen opened with a prolog by factory owner J. Lange from the scene. Here after there were played "Kong Renes datter(King Renes daughter)" by Henrik Hertz, 1 act of Holberg's "Barselsstuen(Childbirth room)" and last Hostrup's "Intrigerne(The Intrigues)".

About 30 performances every year starting on 26 december were played here for many years with different managers like Cortes, J, Welther, Helsengren, Bessøe, Otto-Jacobsen, Axel Jacobsen, Stein, Wedel, Kornbeck, Gregaard, Gerda Christophersen and many more since then.
Most of the provincial performing societies have performed here plus great actors from the capital. Even foreign actors. For instance in 1906 manager Stephensen got japanese actors here to perform. The royal ballet school has also been dancing for the svendborgian citizens.

In 1939 the theater had to be renewed. On 23 august 1967 the Svendborg theater union is founded with over 2000 members, which helped on the decreasing activity in the theater life in Svendborg. During the 1970'ties it was renewed again and this time extensive as it was fallen into decay. It was reinitiated on 31 october 1970 at a large party performance. The prolog was this time written by reverent Johansen from Thuro and the play was the musical "Fantasticks".

The old theater building from 1854 was sold in 1896 to Svendborg singing union and was in their management until 1916. It had restaurant, rooms for unions and ballrooms plus a cinema established in 1905. The cinema owner was Chris Soerensens fader nad in 1908 he took over running it untill 1916 where the entire building was sold to Frederik Nielsen who change it into a day-restaurant and palm garden, Later named Apollo. In 1928 it changes owner. This time to Chr. Nielsen who renames the place to Maxim.
A few years later Svendborg municipal buys the building for tearing it down. It is not torn down right away, though. Jutlandish soldiers in the barracks on at Belvedere in Svendborg get supplies in Maxim and CBU's(?) from Sandholt lives here. From august 1943 german soldiers gets thier meals here. At the same time it funktioned as a storehouse for the neighbouring firestation and for the civil defense. there has also been appartment in the building. After the war and untill 1960 the Kai Nielsen sculpture collection was stored here. The years after, january 1961, the building was demoliced.

Primary source: Svendborg newspaper primo 1930'ties. "Teaterliv i Svendborg gennem mere end 100 aar".

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