Advent Calendar - December 23 - Lotta Granér

An actor's dreams and doubts Advent Calendar proudly presents - December 23 - Lotta Granér from Sweden. I have the special honor of presenting my mother to you. She has taken me to the theatre and to the Opera my whole life which is an amazing gift. She is one of the biggest reasons why I am so fascinated by theatre and acting. I owe her a big Thank You! The word is hers.

 

I was four years old when I had my first encounter with the Opera scene in Stockholm. I was allowed to go with friends to see Peter and Anneli's journey to the Moon a saga and dance performance by Gerdt von Bassewitz for families. I thought I was in heaven. Everything was so beautiful. It was gold and ornaments everywhere and all the actors were so pretty in their well made costumes. It was  fascinating and scary. I don't remember the whole story but I do remember fragments that are still so clear to me even though it is 57 years ago. I never wanted it to end. It ended and I wanted to see more.


There has been a lot of visits to the theaters since then, in Sweden and in other places such as New York, London, Prague, Saint Petersburg and Amsterdam etc.


As a young adult I was a member of the amateur theatre group connected to Fria Proteatern in Stockholm. I don't act anymore but I have used acting as part of my work. I have worked with children and teenagers with different disabilities and sometime acting has come in handy to make them understand their own behavior. By showing them how they have acted in certain situations they have been given the chance to redo an improve these situations and it has improved their view on how other people perceive them. They have been able to improve their relations to other people.


As a parent it has been a joy to go to the theatre with my children. From the age of two years old I frequently took them to the theatres and to the Opera in Stockholm and other cities. I am therefore very happy that Lina has kept this interest alive.


I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year filled with as much theatre as possible.

December 23