Sybil Bruncheon’s “Celebrity Birthdays In History”... January 16th, 1681...

Madam Leenya Katarina Strasbourg. (Seen here in the portrait done of her: "The Beautiful Strasbourgian" by Nicolas de Largillière, 1703.)

Madam Leenya was a notable society doyenne and international traveler in the most discerning European courts. Her tastes in the arts, literature, crafts, cuisine, fashion, and entertainment were legendary. And, in addition to her great charm and wit, she was extremely talented at both music and "recitatives", or what we would call today, "community theatre". She used her extraordinary wealth (built during the nutmeg and tulip booms!) to patronize and support her followers, and she decided to turn her own skills to more realistic forms in the arts! One of her greatest innovations was to teach actors to "cry on cue", as she put it...

Actors, of course, immediately beat a trail to her salon doors to be taught the new skills of "crying on cue"....REAL TEARS!! Soon, her Académie de L'hystérie et de Rire was full of hundreds of actors from all over the continent. Producers, directors, and actors all judged each other's talents by whether they knew of her "methods". Not only did all plays in the best theatres have a fresh and modern realism to them, but her influence was seen in circuses, carnivals, mime shows, ballets, roadside caprices, and gypsy fortune teller tents. Eventually, people from all walks of life and professions wanted to be able to convey the same emotional range as the very best actors. Acrobats, jugglers, dancers, and finally even lacemakers, chefs, carpenters, gilders, and sanitation persons enrolled in her classes.

She died at 91 years of age having created a new world of art through her "Strasbourg Method" which was much imitated through the centuries, but never duplicated. (She is seen in this portrait during one of her movement classes called "An Actress Stands Straight And Tall". She balanced a gigantic hamantaschen on her head during Purim and went about the classroom doing barnyard sounds and somersaults to show her equilibrium... and then promptly burst into tears while reciting "Hey Diddle Diddle, The Cat And The Fiddle!".... (many thanks to George Sweet for the portrait!)

(ps...that is not a lap-dog... it's the little handbag/alarm clock she designed for Amsterdam's "Coo-Koo For Clutches" shop!)....

[Want to read other fun and funny stories here on SybilSez.com? Just enter any topic that pops into your head in the "search" window on the upper right! Who knows what might come up?...and feel free to share them with your friends!]