Alice Droller studied drama in Germany, where she acted with the Reinhardt Bühne. Afterwards she worked as a waitress at a Konditorei in Vienna and as a chambermaid, dressing assistant and prompter in Paris. Her parents fled from Germany to The Hague, where they opened a boarding house. In 1933 Alice Droller joined them. A year later she joined a cabaret group that went by many different names (Cabaret Alice Dorell, De Spotvogel, De Lantaarn, the Drie Dames Cabaret and, during the 1939-1940 season, Cabaret Pinguin). Her stage name was Alice Dorell. Her Dutch was excellent, thanks to professional speech training.
Katja B. Zaich, “Ich bitte dringend um ein Happyend.” Deutsche Bühnenkünstler im niederländischen Exil 1933-1945, (Frankfurt am Main, 2001), 92-99;
P.H. Honig (ed.), Acteurs- en Kleinkunstenaarslexicon. 3200 namen uit 100 jaar Nederlands toneel, (Heino/Diepenveen 1984), 220-221.
At the municipal archives of The Hague are photos of Alice Droller while rehearsing in 1937.
[More information on the Dutch version of this web-page]
Biography