Maria Zankovetska

Maria Kostiantynivna Adasovska (; 4 August 1854 – 4 October 1934), better known under her pseudonym Maria Zankovetska was a Ukrainian theater actress. Some sources date her birth to 3 August 1860.

In 1922, Zankovetska became the first recipient of the People's Artist of Ukraine (People's Artist of Ukrainian SSR).

Biography Maria was born to an impoverished landowner and nobleman, Kostyantyn Adasovsky, and a Chernihiv city resident (burgess) Maria Nefedova, in Zanky, Nizhyn County, Chernihiv Governorate (present-day Nizhyn Raion, Chernihiv Oblast, Ukraine). She had many siblings. Maria was a graduate of the Chernihiv City Female Gymnasium.

On May 11, 1875, Maria married Alexey Antonovich Khlystov, commander of the 5th Artillery Brigade of the 3rd Artillery Company, and moved to Bessarabia, where she met Mykola Sadovskyi. Alexei was later transferred to Sveaborg (now Suomenlinna), and Maria began to study vocal music in nearby Helsinki, under the tutelage of the Hrimaly brothers.

In 1876, she first appeared onstage in Nizhyn Theater. Her professional career began on 27 October 1882 at the Yelizavetgrad City Theater (Kropyvnytsky) under the management of Marko Kropyvnytsky. Her first role was Natalka from the Kotlyarevsky play "Natalka Poltavka". Later Maria participated among the most popular and professional Ukrainian troupes of Marko Kropyvnytsky, Mykhailo Starytsky, Mykola Sadovsky, and Panas Saksahansky. Her stage name Zankovetska was derived from the name of the village of her birth. Her repertoire included more than 30 roles. A mezzo-soprano, she sang in Ukrainian folk songs.

Zankovetska was an activist for the opening in Nizhyn of a permanent state theater. In 1918, she organized a people's theater "Ukrainian troupe under the direction of M. Zankovetska", where she played with such actors as Borys Romanytsky, Andriy Rotmyrov, and others. Several plays were set among which were "Natalka Poltavka", "Hetman Doroshenko", and "Aza the Gypsy". Recognizing her stage merits, in June 1918 the Hetman of Ukraine Pavlo Skoropadsky approved the adoption by the Council of Ministers of a resolution on the appointment of a lifetime state pension for Zankovetska.

In 1922, Ukraine triumphantly celebrated the 40th anniversary of Zankovetska's career. She was the first person in Ukraine to whom the government awarded the high title of the People's Artist of the Republic.

List of selected theatrical roles

1882 – Natalka ("Natalka Poltavka", Ivan Kotlyarevsky) 1882 – Halya ("Nazar Stodolya", Taras Shevchenko) 1882 – Tsvirkunka ("Black Sea Sailors", Mykhailo Starytsky) 1883 – Olena ("Hlytai or the Spider", Marko Kropyvnytsky) 1887 – Kharytyna ("Serf Maiden", Ivan Karpenko-Karyi) 1889 – Katrya ("Not Destined", Mykhailo Starytsky) 1891 – Aksyusha ("Forest", Alexander Ostrovsky) 1892 – Aza ("Aza the Gypsy", Mykhailo Starytsky) Ulyana Kvitchyna ("Wedding in Honcharivka") Yo ("Loss of Nadiya", Herman Heijermans)

Filmography

1909 – Natalka (Natalka Poltavka) 1923 – Mother (Ostap Bandura)