Johanna Elisabeth Dahlén née ''Morthorst'' (1757-1845) was a Danish stage actress and opera singer. She belonged to the elite members of the

Royal Danish Theatre The Royal Danish Theatre (RDT, Danish: ') is both the national Danish performing arts institution and a name used to refer to its old purpose-built venue from 1874 located on Kongens Nytorv in Copenhagen. The theatre was founded in 1748, first ser ...

between 1784 and 1827. She made her debut as an actress on 21 September 1784. While active as an actress her entire career, it was in the capacity of an opera singer she was truly successful. She was described as a musically gifted

coloratura soprano A coloratura soprano is a type of operatic soprano voice that specializes in music that is distinguished by agile runs, leaps and trills. The term '' coloratura'' refers to the elaborate ornamentation of a melody, which is a typical component o ...

. She successfully performed the role of ingenue until she gradually shifted to mother roles.

List of roles

1780s

* 1782 '' Den stundesløse'' as Ane, kokkepige * 1783 ''

Den politiske kandestøber ''The Political Tinker'' (Danish: Den politiske kandestøber) is a five-set satirical play published by Norwegian-Danish playwright Ludvig Holberg in 1722. Production history It premiered at Lille Grønnegade Theatre in Copenhagen on 25 Septembe ...

'' as Pige * 1783 ''Faderen'' as Sypige * 1783 ''Julie'' as Jomfru * 1784 ''Balders død'' as Valkyrie * 1784 ''Barselstuen'' as Barselskonens pige * 1784 ''Cecilia'' as Anna * 1784 ''De samnitiske ægteskaber'' as Samnitisk pige * 1784 ''De uventede tilfælde'' as Emilie * 1784 ''Den sværmende filosof'' as Philamon * 1784 ''Det foregivne hekseri'' as Charlotte * 1784 ''Kongen og forpagteren'' as Mally, Richards søster * 1784 ''Lucile'' as Lisette, kammerpige * 1784 ''Skotlænderinden'' as Pige i værtshus * 1785 ''Arsene'' as Eugenia * 1785 ''Cecilia'' as Dorthe * 1785 ''Deucalion og Pyrrha'' as Pyrrha * 1785 ''Friskytterne og mælkepigen'' as Lene, mælkepige * 1785 ''Zemire og Azor'' as Fatime * 1786 ''Aglae'' as Rodope * 1786 ''Den foregivne lord'' as Irene, hans datter * 1786 ''Den løgnagtige tjener'' as Dame * 1786 ''Det uventede møde'' as Rezia * 1786 ''Rosenbruden i Salency'' as Cecilie, rosenbruden * 1787 ''Aglae'' as Aglae * 1787 ''Arsene'' as Myris * 1787 ''Cecilia'' as Lisbeth * 1787 ''Den falske formodning'' as Leonore * 1787 ''Den uforsigtige forsigtighed'' as Mirande * 1787 ''Fiskerne'' as Lise * 1787 ''Orfeus og Eurydice'' as Evrydice * 1787 ''Ulysses von Ithacia'' as Pallas * 1788 ''Aglae'' as Aglae * 1788 ''Det talende skilderi'' as Isabelle * 1788 ''Markedet'' as Grethe * 1788 ''Skovbyggeren'' as Pauline * 1789 ''Aglae'' as Aglae * 1789 ''Den skinsyge kone'' as Miss Russet * 1789 ''Den sværmende filosof'' as Claire * 1789 ''Desertøren'' as Nanatte, en bondepige * 1789 ''Eddikemanden og hans hjulbør'' as Hr. Delomers datter * 1789 ''Orfeus og Eurydice'' as Evrydice

1790s

* 1790 ''Apotekheren og doctoren'' as Leonora, Stødvels datter * 1790 ''De to gerrige'' as Lucinde * 1790 ''Den sværmende filosof'' as Claire * 1790 ''Høstdagen'' as Grethe * 1790 ''Julie'' as Julie * 1790 ''Lucile'' as Lucile * 1790 ''Selim og Mirza'' as Fatme * 1790 ''Steffen og Lise'' as Lise * 1791 ''Aglae'' as Aglae * 1791 ''Bødkeren'' as Trine * 1791 ''De forliebte haandværksfolk'' as Rosine * 1791 ''De to gerrige'' as Lucinde * 1791 ''De to sedler'' as Grethe * 1791 ''De tre forpagtere'' as Trine * 1791 ''Elskovs magt'' as Dulcimano * 1791 ''Erast'' as Georgine * 1791 ''Købmanden i Smyrne'' as Amalie * 1791 ''Lilla'' as Lilla * 1791 ''Richard Løvehjerte'' as Margrethe, grevinde af Flandern * 1791 ''Syngesygen'' as Elise * 1791 ''Taknemlighed og utaknemlighed'' as Vilhelmine * 1791 ''Vennen af huset'' as Agathe * 1792 ''Aglae'' as Aglae * 1792 ''Arven i Marseille'' as Lucile * 1792 ''Balders Død'' as Nanna * 1792 ''De to smaa Savoyarder'' as Joseph * 1792 ''De Vonner og Vanner'' as Sophie * 1792 ''Feen Ursel'' as Berthe, dronning * 1792 ''Høstgildet'' as Grethe * 1792 ''Indianerne i England'' as Liddy * 1792 ''Kolonien'' as Marine * 1792 ''Papegøjen'' as Lady Amalie Bedford * 1792 ''Pæretræet'' as Claudine * 1792 ''Ringen'' as Caroline Selting * 1792 ''Stregen i regningen'' as Henriette * 1793 ''Borgerlykke'' as Mariane * 1793 ''De to gerrige'' as Lucinde * 1793 ''De to sedler'' as Grethe * 1793 ''De to smaa Savoyarder'' as Joseph * 1793 ''Den skinsyge kone'' as Miss Russet * 1793 ''Figaro giftermaal'' as Cherubin * 1793 ''Lilla'' as Lilla * 1793 ''Lise og Peter'' as Lise * 1793 ''Steffen og Lise'' as Lise * 1793 ''Syngesygen'' as Elise * 1793 ''Væddemaalet'' as Astrid * 1794 ''Arsene'' as Myris * 1794 ''Bødkeren'' as Trine * 1794 ''Den røde hue'' as Hedevig * 1794 ''Desertøren'' as Lovise * 1794 ''Det talende skilderi'' as Isabelle * 1794 ''Grovsmeden'' as Lene * 1794 ''Høstdagen'' as Marie * 1794 ''Kun seks retter'' as Fru Reinhard * 1794 ''Købmanden i Smyrne'' as Amalie * 1794 ''Peters bryllup'' as Grethe *1794 ''Silkeskoene'' as Edele * 1795 ''Aftenen'' as Marie * 1795 ''Barselstuen'' as Kone * 1795 ''De forliebte haandværksfolk'' as Rosine * 1795 ''De to gerrige'' as Lucinde * 1795 ''De tre forpagtere'' as Trine * 1795 ''Den sværmende filosof'' as Claire * 1795 ''Entreprenøren i knibe'' as Merline * 1795 ''Hekserie'' as Frue * 1795 ''I oprørt vand er godt at fiske'' as Baroness * 1795 ''Kjolen fra Lyon'' as Rosine * 1795 ''Rosenbruden i Salency'' as Cecilie, rosenbruden * 1795 ''Serenaden'' as Lene, bondepige * 1796 ''Barselstuen'' as Kone * 1796 ''Dyveke'' as Dronning Elisabeth * 1796 ''Festen i Valhal'' as Skuld * 1796 ''Hemmeligheden'' as Lene, ung bondepige * 1796 ''Høstdagen'' as Marie * 1796 ''Søofficererne'' as Fru Wotton * 1796 ''Vinhøsten'' as Frøken von Tosberg * 1796 ''Virtuosen nr. 2'' as Fru von Borgen * 1797 ''Bagtalelsens skole'' as Marie * 1797 ''De forliebte haandværksfolk'' as Madam Constance * 1797 ''Den bogstavelige udtydning'' as Jenny * 1797 ''Den snedige brevveksling'' as Madame Fougere * * 1797 ''Fejltagelserne'' as Frøken Trine * 1797 ''Fusentasterne'' as Juliane * 1797 ''Jockeyen'' as Alexandrine * 1797 ''Modens sæder'' as Julie * 1797 ''Navnsygen'' as Henriette * 1797 ''Nonnerne'' as Priorinde * 1797 ''Vestindianeren'' as Charlotte Rusport * 1797 ''Zemire og Azor'' as Lisbe * 1798 ''Aline, dronning af Golkonda'' as Hyrdinde * 1798 ''Bagtalelsens skole'' as Pige hos lady Teazle * 1798 ''Barselstuen'' as Dame * 1798 ''Elskernes skole'' as Eveline * 1798 ''Falsk undseelse'' as Emmy * 1798 ''Figaro giftermaal'' as Suzanne * 1798 ''Mariane'' as Madame Derval * 1798 ''Pebersvenden'' as Grethe * 1798 ''Victorine'' as Victorine * 1799 ''Barselstuen'' as Dame * 1799 ''De to brødre'' as Mally * 1799 ''Falsk undseelse'' as Emmy * 1799 ''Medbejlerne'' as Frøken Lydia Følig * 1799 ''Natur røst'' as Suzon * 1800 ''Barselstuen'' as Barselskone * 1800 ''Bødkeren'' as Trine

1800s

* 1800 ''De pudserlige arvinger'' as Emilie Falk * 1800 ''De to brødre'' as Mally * 1800 ''De to gerrige Lucinde'' as * 1800 Den lille matros Fulbert * 1800 ''Landsbyteatret'' as Mistress Dazzle * 1800 ''Min bedstemor'' as Miss Jenny * 1800 ''Negeren'' as Frøken Julie Decan * 1800 ''Optimisten'' as Fru Dorvil * 1800 ''Serenaden'' as Lene, bondepige * 1800 ''Søofficererne'' as Fru Wotton * 1800 ''Ægteskabsforslaget'' as Rosaline * 1801 ''Tjenestefolkenes skole'' as Kitty * 1802 ''Apothekeren og doctoren'' as Rosalia * 1802 ''Bagtalelsens skole'' as Pige hos Lady Teazle * 1802 ''Den lille matros'' as Lise * 1802 ''Herman von Unna'' as Sophie * 1802 ''Hjemkomsten'' as Signe * 1802 ''Mødet paa rejsen'' as Constanza * 1802 ''Octavia'' as Charmion * 1803 ''De to dage'' as Angelina * 1803 ''Kærlighed uden strømper'' as Grethe, Johans forlovede * 1803 ''Raptussen'' as Lady Dorset * 1803 ''Rosenkæderne'' as Fru Lundborg * 1804 ''Apothekeren og doctoren'' as Rosalia * 1804 ''Balders død'' as Valkyrie * 1804 ''Den logerende'' as Madam Søldal * 1804 ''Kalifen af Bagdad'' as Lemaide * 1804 ''Landsbypigen'' as Frøken Clare * 1804 ''Skatten'' as Lucile * 1805 ''De to Figaroer'' as Suzanne * 1805 ''Herman von Unna'' as Prinsessen af Ratibor * 1805 ''Syngesygen'' as Elise * 1806 ''Apothekeren og doctoren'' as Rosalia * 1806 ''En times ægteskab'' as Elise * 1806 ''Familien i Amerika'' as Madam Daranville * 1806 ''Rivalerne'' as Madam Orgon * 1806 ''Romeo og Juliette'' as Cecile * 1808 ''De to dage'' as Angelina * 1809 ''Marionetterne'' as Fru Saint-Phar * 1809 ''Sovedrikken'' as Abelone

1810s

* 1810 ''Snedkeren i Lifland'' as Madame Merber, gæstgiverske * 1811 ''Apothekeren og doctoren'' as Rosalia * 1812 ''Apothekeren og doctoren'' as Rosalia * 1812 ''Herman von Unna'' as Prinsessen af Ratibor * 1813 ''De to brødre'' as Mally * 1813 ''Hamlet'' as Gertrud * 1814 ''Barselstuen'' as Dame / Kone * 1814 ''Fiskerne'' as Birthe * 1814 ''Natur røst'' as Claire * 1815 ''Ariadne på Naxos'' as Orkade * 1815 ''Grovsmeden'' as Grethe * 1815 ''Herman von Unna'' as Prinsessen af Ratibor * 1816 ''Den lille matros'' as Mo'er Thomas * 1816 ''Hemmeligheden'' as Sophie * 1817 ''Octavia'' as Kleopatra * 1819 ''Nonnerne'' as Priorinde * 1819 ''Peters bryllup'' as Kirsten

1820s

* 1820 ''Barselstuen'' as Arianke Bogtrykkers * 1820 ''De forliebte haandværksfolk'' as Madam Constance * 1821 ''Den lille matros'' as Mo'er Thomas * 1822 ''Ægteskabsskolen'' as Fru Silkeborg * 1823 H''ekserie'' as Frue * 1823 ''Sovedrikken'' as Abelone * 1826 ''Myndlingerne'' as Enke * 1827 ''Det sidste middel'' as Baronesse Düthelm

Personal life

Dahlén married Carl Dahlén in 1792.

References

Dansk biografisk Lexikon / IV. Bind. Clemens - Eynden
1757 births 1845 deaths 18th-century Danish actresses 18th-century Danish women opera singers 19th-century Danish actresses Danish stage actresses 19th-century Danish women opera singers {{Denmark-actor-stub