Johan Peter Strömberg

Johan Peter Strömberg was born in Stockholm to tobacco manufacturer Anders Olofsson Strömberg and Ulrica Sophia Bourchell. In 1797, he married the Swedish dancer Maria Christina Sophia Ehrnström (1776–1853).

Johan Peter Strömberg made his debut in the travelling theater company of E. M. Wederborg at Nyköping in 1793. He toured Sweden as a member of several travelling theatre companies, such as the ones of Carl Seuerling, Johan Peter Lewenhagen, A. O. Hofflund and Johan Anton Lindqvist.

In 1798-99 he attempted to start a permanent theater in Uddevalla, and in 1800, he made another attempt to start a permanent theater in Nyköping, but was forced to close in 1802.Wilhelm Berg: Anteckningar om Göteborgs äldre teatrar / Band 2. 1794-1816 (1896-1900)

During this epoch, Swedish language theater companies toured also in Norway, where there were otherwise only private amateur theatres of the Det Dramatiske Selskap. From 1803 onward, he and his spouse were active in Norway both as performers and as instructors of dance and acting in several Norwegian cities. They acted as instructors in Trondheim 1803-04 and 1805, at Kristiansund in 1804-05, and at the Det Dramatiske Selskab in Oslo.{{cite web|url= https://snl.no/norsk_teaterhistorie |title= norsk teaterhistorie|publisher= Store norske leksikon |author= Elisabeth Leinslie |accessdate=May 1, 2019}}

In 1809, he was given permission to create a public theater in the Norwegian capital. His wish was to create a Norwegian theater with Norwegian actors. In 1825, he founded Det Strømbergske Teater, an acting school as preparation for the theater. In 1827, Christiania Offentlige Theater was inaugurated in Oslo. This was the first professional public theater in Norway since the short lived theater of German acrobat stage actor, Martin Nürenbach over fifty years prior. The theater was however not to be successful. Johan Peter Strömberg was forced to hire Danish actors because there where no Norwegian professionals and his Norwegian students where criticized for not being educated enough. When he performed the Swedish play Fredsfesten on 4 November 1827, a play which praised the Union of Sweden and Norway, the theater was boycotted. He subsequently when bankrupt and was forced to close the theater in 1828. He died in poverty during 1834 in Aker. The building burned in 1835.{{cite web|url= https://sceneweb.no/en/venue/37788/Det_Str%C3%B8mbergske_Teater-1827-1-30 |title= Det Strømbergske Teater - Christiania offentlige Theater|publisher= sceneweb.no |accessdate=May 1, 2019}}

However, his pioneer project was to have a lasting effect as his theater was to become the Christiania Theatre in 1836. This became the first lasting permanent public theater in Norway.{{cite web|url= https://snl.no/Christiania_Theater |title= Christiania Theater

|publisher= norsk teaterhistorie |author= Marianne Dyrnes Vallat|accessdate=May 1, 2019}}

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• {{cite encyclopedia|url=http://www.snl.no/.nbl_biografi/Johan_Peter_Str%C3%B6mberg/utdypning|encyclopedia=Norsk biografisk leksikon|first=Trine|last=Næss|editor=Helle, Knut|title=Johan Peter Strömberg|year=2004|volume=8|language=Norwegian|accessdate=26 March 2009}}
• [http://www.folkedans.com/folkedans/stildans_christiania.htm dans i Kristiania på 1700- og 1800-talet]

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Category:Swedish male stage actors

Category:Swedish expatriates in Norway

Category:Swedish theatre directors

Category:18th-century Swedish dancers

Category:1776 births

Category:1834 deaths

Category:19th-century Swedish male actors

Category:19th-century Norwegian male actors

Category:Norwegian male stage actors

Category:19th-century Swedish dancers

Category:Swedish male dancers

Category:19th-century theatre managers

Category:Male actors from Stockholm