Fredrikke Nielsen

The Norwegian Theatre, 1853–1861

Fredrikke Nielsen had her debut at The Norwegian Theatre (Det norske Theater) in Bergen December 14, 1853, in the play How she can lie. She was only sixteen years old, but shortly afterward she got permanent employment at the theatre. She quickly won the hearts of the Bergen audience and professor in art history, Lorentz Dietrichson, called her «Poetry personified on stage». (Noreng 1998:8). Nielsen stayed at the theatre in Bergen from 1853 to 1861. She was a highly respected tragedienne, and played several important roles, such as Rosalind in Shakespeare's As You Like It and Hjørdis in Ibsen's The Vikings at Helgeland.

From 1853–57 Fredrikke Nielsen was regularly directed by Henrik Ibsen. She developed a confidential relationship with him, and several examples of this can be found in her memoirs. She had great respect for him, both as a playwright and director. What he taught her at an early age, she later used in her own acting for the rest of her career. During the premiere of The Feast at Solhaug, she writes that Ibsen approached her as she walked nervously in the wings waiting for her cue. He held his hands over her head, and said: "Let all the Lord's angels be with you" (Nielsen 1998:90), before he pushed her out on stage.

Henrik Ibsen's muse

Both professor Arild Haaland and psychologist Arne Duve almost took for granted that there must have been a romantic connection between Fredrikke and the young Henrik Ibsen (Duve 1977, Haaland 1978:173). Professor Harald Noreng, who published her memoirs, also points to a possible relationship between the two. He has, specifically referring to the later contemporary dramas, added a chapter where he strongly suggests that Fredrikke may have inspired the playwright. Noreng draws several parallels between her dramatic life and Ibsen's works. Examples of close biographical connections with Ibsen's female dramatic characters can be found in plays like: Olaf Liljekrans, The Vikings at Helgeland, Love's Comedy, Ghosts, The Wild Duck, The Lady from the Sea and When We Dead Awaken. (Noreng 1998:110–158). Ibsen left Bergen 1857, and after that it is not known whether the two ever met again. What we do know is that Fredrikke Nielsen, 69 years old, went to Kristiania in 1906 to take part in Henrik Ibsen's funeral. She stood in line with ten thousands of other people who wanted to show their respect at his lit de parade. Here she made a short speech, where she thanked him for the roles, and put down a small bouquet of wildflowers.

Marriage and family

November 27, 1856 Fredrikke Nielsen married actor Harald Andreas Nielsen. The couple had ten children, but only six of them reached adulthood.

Trondheim, 1861–1876

In 1861 Fredrikke Nielsen and her husband moved house to work at The Norwegian Theatre in Trondheim.

When the theatre went bankrupt, Harald Nielsen started his own theatre, where Fredrikke Nielsen played great roles. She also travelled on her own and had guest appearances on all the greatest stages in Scandinavia. She also made dramatic readings. They lived in Trondheime until 1876, when she was hired by the new National Stage (Den Nationale Scene) in Bergen, and the family moved back to her hometown.

The National Stage 1976–1880

On October 27, 1976, Fredrikke Nielsen played Hjørdis in Ibsen's The Vikings at Helgeland at the opening show at The National Stage in Bergen. Actress Octavia Sperati remembered that «Mrs. Fredrikke Nielsen's imaginative and demonic Hjørdis was very effective …» (Sperati 1911:89). Professor Harald Noreng has also mentioned that Fredrikke Nielsen in this play was able to expose the "dark and aggressive aspects of her artistic temperament …" (Noreng 1998:114). in the following four years, Nielsen was the theatre's leading prima donna.

Methodist preacher and women's pioneer

Around the same time, the theatre at last decided to stage Ibsen's long denounced play Love's Comedy. Fredrikke Nielsen had probably recognized aspects of herself in the play's protagonist, Svanhild, when the controversial piece came out, and therefore had learned all the lines, but no theaters dared to put it up. Now sixteen years later, she was too old for her dream role, and was forced to play Svanhild's mother. This artistic defeat probably contributed to her entering into a deep existential crisis. The following year, she left her position at The National Stage, and June 17, 1880, she made her last performance, as Miss Bernick in Ibsen's The Pillars of Society. After that she never set her foot in a theater again. She underwent a religious revival, and became a Methodist preacher.

In the following thirty years, Fredrikke Nielsen travelled around preaching. First only in the Scandinavian countries, but after her husband died in 1881, she travelled to the United States, where three of her daughters had settled. Here she preached for the Scandinavian Methodists, and managed to get through most of the continent.

Her social commitment led her to also use the pulpit for issues other than religion. She fought for women's rights, to better single mothers' role in society, for inheritance rights for children of single mothers and for the education and upbringing of children. She was a popular speaker and she also wrote newspaper articles about these issues. At a time when being a woman in itself could be a challenge, Fredrikke Nielsen continued to travel until the end of her life.

Wedding-song from Henrik Ibsen

When Fredrikke and Harald were married, Bergen Cathedral was filled with guests and people wanting to see the event. Henrik Ibsen wrote a song for the occasion:

Lost memoirs

Fredrikke Nielsen wrote her memoirs and left a large manuscript when she died. It was accepted at Gyldendal in Copenhagen, and the book was about to be printed when family withdrew it at the last minute. Of fear of scandal, the complete manuscript was destroyed. In 1980, a stack of yellow papers surfaced in the attic of Fredrikke Nielsen's grandson in California. This turned out to be a Swedish translation of the first third, meant for Scandinavian Methodists in the United States. Luckily this was the part of the memoirs containing her childhood, her theatre debut, and the years working with Henrik Ibsen. Professor Harald Noreng acquired the manuscript, and in 1998 it was released by the publishing house Novus in Oslo.