12 Facts About Marko Kropyvnytskyi

Over his career Kropyvnytskyi wrote 40 plays, played in over 500 roles of various repertoire, as well as wrote several songs.

Marko Lukych Kropyvnytskyi was born on 7 May 1840 in Bezhbayraky village, in what was then Kherson Governorate of the Russian Empire, into the family of nobleman Luka Ivanovych and Kapitolina Ivanivna Kropyvnytskyi.

In 1862 as an audit student, Marko Kropyvnytskyi attended classes at the Law Faculty of Kiev University.

Marko Kropyvnytskyi later criticized this work as it was an attempt by inexperienced author.

Marko Kropyvnytskyi had not completed his education for various reasons; yet he constantly complemented to his knowledge independently, especially after he moved to Elisavetgrad, where there was a library.

In 1871, Marko Kropyvnytskyi joined the troupe of professional actors, and agreed to work in the company of Count Morkov, in Odessa.

Marko Kropyvnytskyi gained a great theatrical experience after spending over ten years in the Russian theatre troupe; he thoroughly studied the specific rules of theatre genre and learned the place of theatre in society.

In 1872 the Odessa newspaper "Novorossiysk Telegraph" published two musical comedies by Marko Kropyvnytskyi: Reconciled and God will protect an orphan, or Unexpected Proposal.

In 1875, Marko Kropyvnytskyi went on tour in Galicia, where he worked as an actor and director of the theatre company "Ruthenian talk"; he has made some effort to change the repertoire and artistic style of the theatre in bringing it to the realism and national character.

Yet, these troupes did not satisfy Marko Kropyvnytskyi, who sought for dramatic changes in scenic art.

In 1882, he organised his own company which, after around a year, merged with the Mykhailo Starytsky troupe, and Marko Kropyvnytskyi became a leading director there.

Marko Kropyvnytskyi died on 21 April 1910 on his way from Odessa, where he was on tour.