Amalie Konsa (also known as Brigitta; 10 March 1873 – 19 July 1949), was an

Estonia Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...

n stage and actress and singer usually based in Tartu. She was known as the "grandmother of the Estonian theatre"

Life

Konsa was born Amalie-Luise Konts in Raadi Parish (now,

Tartu Parish Tartu Parish ( et, Tartu vald) is a rural municipality in Tartu County, Estonia. It has a population of 12,725 (as of 1 December 2022) and covers an area of . The population density is . It has one borough ( Raadi), six small boroughs (Äksi, Kõ ...

) in 1873. She came from a large family and received only primary education at

St. John's Church, Tartu St. John's Church, Tartu ( et, Jaani kirik, german: St. Johanniskirche zu Dorpat) is a Brick Gothic Lutheran church, one of the landmarks of the city of Tartu, Estonia. It is dedicated to John the Baptist. History Initially, St John's was a ...

. She started acting in 1886 in the important Estonian culture group of the

Vanemuine Vanemuine () is a theatre in Tartu, Estonia. It was the first Estonian language theatre. History ''1870–1906 The Beginning of the Beginning. Koidula’s Theatre, Wiera’s Theatre.'' On June 24, 1870 was the first day in Estonian theatre ...

Choir. She was chosen by

August Wiera August Daniel Wiera (28 March 1853 Jaama manor, near Tartu – 26 March 1919 Tartu) was an Estonian theatre and music personnel. Under his guidance Vanemuine Cultural Society's theatre collective became semi-professional. With August's help the ...

to join his troupe and she then played on and off from 1906 to 1949 with the Vanemuine. In an interview when she was 70 she said that acting had been the "greatest joy in her life". She was the only actress employed by the theatre leader August Wiera who was re-employed to join the later Karl Menning troupe. She was known as the "grandmother of the Estonian theatre" and she appeared on stage over 50 years whilst nearly always living in Tartu. In 1927 she had played the mother of one of the protagonists in the Estonian film '' Noored kotkad'' ("Young Eagles"). The film was set against the background of when the Bolsheviks interfered with the

Estonian War of Independence The Estonian War of Independence ( et, Vabadussõda, literally "Freedom War"), also known as the Estonian Liberation War, was a defensive campaign of the Estonian Army and its allies, most notably the United Kingdom, against the Bolshevik westwa ...

. The film was digitally restored in 2008. Konsa died in a bus accident in

Tartu Tartu is the second largest city in Estonia after the Northern European country's political and financial capital, Tallinn. Tartu has a population of 91,407 (as of 2021). It is southeast of Tallinn and 245 kilometres (152 miles) northeast of ...

in 1949. She has a plaque to her memory on the house where she lived in Ülikooli 11 in Tartu. The incorporated sculpture is by Elmar Rebane. The

Estonian Theatre and Music Museum Estonian Theatre and Music Museum is a national museum located in the old town of Tallinn, Estonia. The museum was established in 1924. History The Estonian Theatre and Music Museum was established in 1924. Estonian music composer Peeter Süd ...

has a collection of her pictures.

Awards and honours

* Honorary actress (1936) * Gold badge of merit of the Estonian Association of Actors 1936. * Meritorious artist of the Estonian SSR (1948)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Konsa, Amalie 1873 births 1949 deaths Estonian stage actresses Estonian film actresses Estonian silent film actresses People from Tartu Parish 20th-century Estonian actresses Road incident deaths in Estonia Burials at Raadi cemetery