Ariana Nozeman

Ariana Nozeman (alt: A(d)riana Noseman/Nooseman): born Ariana van den Bergh (1626/1628 in Middelburg - December 7, 1661 in Amsterdam), was the first woman to play a leading role in a public play in The Netherlands. She made her debut on stage on April 19, 1655, at the Amsterdam Schouwburg (Amsterdam Theater) in a play by Jan Jacobsz. Schipper which incidentally bore her name ‘Onvergelijkelijke Ariana’ (‘Incomparable Ariana’). Early life The daughter of actor and playwright Adriaan van den Bergh, Ariana was born in Middelburg between 1626 and 1628. Her father had a travelling theatre company and translated and adapted several English dramas for the Dutch stage. Among them has been Thomas Kyd's “The Spanish Tragedy” - renamed Don Jeronimo (1621) in Dutch. It was possible Ariana could not write. At that time it was quite common for women and children in travelling theatre companies to appear on stage as these groups often consisted of actors’ families. It is believed that she later joined the troupe of Jan Baptist van Fornenbergh. This company took the tradition of Dutch theatre to distant corners of Europe touring the north of Germany and Scandinavia, performing at fairs as well as royal courts such as the one of Swedish Queen Christina (1653). While in Hamburg, the actress married her colleague, the actor Gillis Nozeman in the Reformed Church of nearby Altona. Ariana and Gillis became known as the first actors’ couple in Dutch theatre history. Professional life On June 30, 1655, the name of Ariana Nozeman was recorded for the first time in the Amsterdam theatre archives. The actress was paid 76,50 Dutch florins for 17 performances; she was even paid than her husband as she brought her own opulent costumes to the scene. Unlike Italy and France, where women had already made their appearances on the public stage, women’s stage-roles in the Dutch Republic were still generally being played by men in the first half of the 17th century. The resignation of six actors at the Amsterdam Schouwburg (Theatre) may have led to Ariana Nozeman’s debut.