Elsa Olenius

Elsa Viktoria Olenius (September 30, 1896 – August 25, 1984) was a Swedish librarian and writer, best remembered for pioneering children's library activities and theatre with children. She was awarded a in 1981.

In the 1940s, she founded ('the Children's Own Theatre'), which later became Vår teater ('Our Theatre').

Biography

Upbringing and studies Elsa Olenius was born in 1896 in Bollnäs, Hälsingland, Sweden. She was the only child of Otto Söderström, a postal inspector, and Blenda Johnson. Both her parents were interested in theatre and her father was also an amateur musician. Fairytales and storytelling were a part of her childhood which would later make a mark on her career. When the family moved to Örebro, Olenius was introduced to theatre. She later performed at the gymnasium theatre and then at the student theatre in Uppsala, where she graduated from the Uppsala private gymnasium in 1914 at the age of 17.

Professional life As a children's librarian at Hornsgatan Library, Olenius began holding storytelling events for children, and in the late 1920s and 1930s she began her children's theatre activities, in which children were involved with drama and pantomime. Influenced by her own childhood, she focused on storytelling at a time when it was critiqued for being "un-nuanced" and "black-and-white". There, Olenius began an open house for the children of Södermalm on Saturdays. Children between the ages of seven and sixteen could try pantomime theatre and improvisation to music, as a continuation and expansion of the storytelling sessions. She encouraged children to actively experience the roles, stating, "But most important of all is that thought and empathy are given enough time. For those who play pantomime, the rule applies: Think, see and feel before you move! Let your eyes react first, then your face, head – and finally the rest of your body!"