In accordance with the resolution of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine dated 21.12.2023 "On the celebration of commemorative dates and anniversaries in 2024-2025", this year the 170th anniversary of the birth of Maria Zankovetska is celebrated at the state level.
Maria Zankovetska (Adasovska) (1854-1934) was an outstanding Ukrainian theater actress who left a deep mark on the cultural life of Ukraine. Her contribution to the development of theater art was extremely significant, and the connection with Poltava certainly deserves special attention.
She was born on July 23 (August 4) 1854 in the village of Zanky, now Nizhynskyi District, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine, was the fifth child in a large family of an impoverished nobleman, court adviser Konstantin Adasovskyi, and Maria Nefedova, a burgher from Chernihiv. In memory of her happy childhood, she took the pseudonym Zankovetska. She studied at the Chernihiv boarding house S.F. Osovska and at the conservatory in Helsinki. Maria had a strong mezzo-soprano and planned to conquer the opera stage, but lost her voice due to diphtheria. In order to stay on stage, she took up acting and became interested in theater.
The first professional debut of the actress took place on the stage of Yelisavetgrad Theater in 1882 in the role of "Natalka-Poltavka" by Ivan Kotliarevskyi.
She worked in popular troupes: Mark Kropyvnytskyi, Ivan Karpenko-Karyi, Mykola Sadovskyi, Panas Saksaganskyi, Mykhailo Starytskyi and many others.
Poltava was one of the cities where Maria Zankovetska performed during her tours. Her performances were a great success and contributed to the popularization of Ukrainian theatrical art. For the first time, Zankovetska went on tour in Poltava in the fall of 1890 as part of Mykola Sadovskyi's troupe. At the same time, her friendship with the writer Panas Myrnyi was established. The latter was so impressed by Zankovetska that he presented her with the manuscript of his drama "Lymerivna" with a touching dedication: "To the highly talented Maria Kostiantynivna Zankovetska, the surprised author dedicates, not knowing how and what to thank for the unforgettable hours he had to spend with her magical play." Using her extensive connections, in August 1891, Zankovetska was able to pass "Lymerivna" through the theater censorship. Prior to that, the writer tried in vain to print it for many years, but was always banned. The performance took place in Poltava in April 1892 and was a great success. Maria loved the role of Natalia very much, which she considered to be the only tragic role in the Ukrainian repertoire. Being charmed by Zankovetska's unsurpassed performance, Panas Myrnyi broke the secret of his pseudonym, when the audience shouted and invited the author to the stage.
Several times Maria Zankovetska visited the Rudchenko family in their house on Kobyshchanska Street 3 (now the Poltava Literary and Memorial Museum of Panas Myrnyi). Since those times, a photograph with an autographed inscription "To Oleksandra Mykhailivna and Panas Yakovych Rudchenko in memory of M. Zankovetska, who was sincerely fond of them," remained in the house of a classic of Ukrainian literature. In addition, Maria's hands touched the keys of the piano, which is located in the living room of the writer's house.
Maria Zankovetska has repeatedly performed on the stage of the Educational House named after M. Gogol. Photographed in the studio of Jozeph Khmelevskyi. And according to some assumptions, at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, she even lived for a certain time in Kotliarevsky's house on Ivanov Hill.
Zankovetska is known for her roles in classical Ukrainian plays, as an actress she was characterized primarily by naturalness and sincerity, extraordinary observation, acting imagination, quick and easy reincarnation and a sense of proportion. Her most famous theatrical roles are Natalka ("Natalka Poltavka" by I. Kotliarevskyi), Kharytyna ("Hire" by I. Karpenko-Karyi), Olena ("Hlytai" or "Spider" by M. Kropyvnytskyi), Katria ("It didn't make sense" by M. Starytskyi), Natalia ("Lymerivna" by Panas Myrnyi). In total, she played more than 30 roles, had a beautiful voice and flawlessly performed folk songs.
Zankovetska was actually the first woman in Ukraine - the head of the theater - the Ukrainian folk troupe, which she herself founded in 1918. For this, Hetman Skoropadskyi awarded her a lifetime state pension - also the first in independent Ukraine. Zankovetska was the first, but already in Soviet Ukraine, to receive the title of People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR.
In Poltava, an alley is named after one of the most prominent Ukrainian theater actresses.
