Stranitzky, Josef Anton#
Stranitzky, Josef Anton, b. Graz (Knittelfeld?, Styria), Sept. 10, 1676, d. Vienna, May 19, 1726, trained as dentist, actor. Debut with a travelling company, 1699 in Munich, 1706 in Vienna, where he appeared as Hanswurst (a character in dialect farces) in a provisional wooden theatre on the "Neuer Markt" square. 1708 became manager of that theatre, 1711-1726 tenant of the newly built Kaerntnertortheater a stone building. Developed an artistic form of extempore theatre Stegreiftheater emphasising the stock character "Viennese Hans Wurst" in his typical costume, with the pomp and magic operas at court serving as models; first representative of Viennese popular theatre Volkstheater.
Work: Hanns Wursts vermischte Gedanken ueber die 4 Jahreszeiten, 1721.
- Edition: R. Payer-Thurn (ed.), Wr. Haupt- und Staatsaktionen, 2
vols., 1908-1912.
Literature#
O. Rommel, Die Alt-Wr. Volkskomoedie, 1952; R. Urbach, Die Wr. Komoedie und ihr Publikum, 1973; U. Traitler-Reinhild, Antike Mythologie und antiker Mimus im Wr. Volkstheater von S. bis Raimund, doctoral thesis, Vienna 1973.