August Wilhelm Iffland facts for kids
August Wilhelm Iffland (born April 19, 1759 – died September 22, 1814) was a famous German actor. He was also a talented writer of plays.
Life of a Stage Star
August Wilhelm Iffland was born in Hanover, Germany. His father wanted him to become a clergyman. But young August loved the stage and acting. When he was 18, he ran away to Gotha. There, he started training to become an actor.
He learned from a teacher named Hans Ekhof. Iffland learned very quickly. In 1779, he got a job at the theater in Mannheim. This was the start of his successful career. In Mannheim, he played the main character, Franz Moor. This was in the first show of Friedrich Schiller's famous play, The Robbers, in 1782.
Iffland quickly became very well-known. He often performed in other towns, which made him even more famous. In 1796, he moved to Berlin. There, he became the director of the national theater of Prussia. By 1811, he was in charge of all performances for the royal family.
Iffland made sure to put on classic plays by great writers. These included Goethe and Schiller. However, he did not really understand plays by the romantic writers. As an actor, he was especially good at funny roles. He often played polite gentlemen or important princes.
Iffland passed away in Berlin on September 22, 1814. He is buried in a cemetery in Berlin-Kreuzberg. In 1864, a bronze statue of him was put up in front of the Mannheim theater. There is also a street in Berlin named after him.
The Iffland-Ring is a special award. It has Iffland's picture on it. This ring is given to the most important German-speaking actor. The actor who has the ring chooses who will get it next.
His Plays and Writings
Iffland was best at writing and acting in "domestic dramas." These were plays about everyday life and feelings. His plays might not have been very imaginative. But he knew a lot about how a play should work on stage. He was also good at creating exciting situations.
His best characters were simple and natural. They loved home life. But sometimes, they said things that were a bit too sentimental.
Some of his most famous plays are Die Jäger, Dienstpflicht, Die Advokaten, Die Mündel, and Die Hagstolzen. Iffland also wrote about plays. German actors valued his ideas and tips in his book, Almanach für Theater und Theaterfreunde.
From 1798 to 1802, he published his Dramatischen Werke in sixteen books. He also added a book about his own life called Meine theatralische Laufbahn. Later, from 1807 to 1809, Iffland released two more books of Neue dramatische Werke. Parts of his writings were also published later in other collections.
See also
In Spanish: August Wilhelm Iffland para niños
