Estonia (Russia / USSR, Estonian SSR) Bronze Medal 1985(?) - In memory of Theodor Altermann (1885-1915)

155.06g. 70mm. UNC/UNC. 

Tallinn Artistic Products Combinate “ARS”, Metal Leafing Studio. 

The medal did not undergo the full technological cycle and was not patinated. 

Theodor Altermann (1885-1915) was an Estonian actor and stage director, regarded as one of the founders of professional Estonian theatre. Born in Visja village, Kohila parish, he began his stage career in 1902 with the Estonia drama troupe. 

In 1906, together with Paul Pinna, Altermann co-founded the professional Estonia Theatre, where he quickly became one of its leading artistic forces. He combined intense temperament, psychological depth, and exceptional stage presence, distinguishing himself both as an actor and a director. During the 1907–1908 season alone, he staged eleven plays and performed thirty-three roles. 

Altermann also worked in Germany, appearing at the Essen People’s Theatre in 1912-1913. In 1913, at the opening performance of the new Estonia Theatre building, he portrayed Hamlet - the first Hamlet in the history of Estonian theatre. 

His career was cut short by his early death in 1915. Contemporary critics and later theatre historians have regarded Altermann’s passing as a major loss for Estonian theatre, a view later echoed by Voldemar Panso. Altermann remains a seminal figure in the formation of Estonian stage art.