Marko Kropyvnytskyi

• Name — Marko Kropyvnytskyi • Birthplace — Bezhbairaky, Russian Empire • Resting Place — Kharkiv, Ukraine • Died — (aged 69) • Place of death — Kherson Governorate, Russian Empire • Occupation — Writer, dramaturge, composer, theatre actor and director • Language — Ukrainian • Illustration — Marko Kropyvnytskyi's family coat of arms, a variant of the Sas coat of arms (see Polish heraldry)

Marko Lukych Kropyvnytskyi was born on 7 May 1840 in Bezhbairaky village (now Kropyvnytske), in what was then Kherson Governorate of the Russian Empire, into the family of nobleman Luka Ivanovych and Kapitolina Ivanivna (née Dubrovynska) Kropyvnytskyi.

In 1862 as an audit student, Kropyvnytskyi attended classes at the Law Faculty of Kiev University. Deeply impressed by a melodrama he saw in Kiev Theatre, he wrote the play "Mykyta Starostenko, or You won't know when disaster will strike". He later criticized this work as it was an attempt by inexperienced author. Now the play is known in the version, that has undergone numerous fundamental revisions. 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. There, he had a chance to get acquainted with Robert Owen, John Stuart Mill, William Shakespeare, Lord Byron, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Heinrich Heine, Alexandre Dumas, George Sand, and William Makepeace Thackeray, among other writers. In his government service, Kropyvnytskyi was rarely promoted, and often completely lost his earnings, due to his devotion for art and amateur performances. In 1871, Kropyvnytskyi joined the troupe of professional actors, and agreed to work in the company of Count Morkov, in Odessa. He 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 Kropyvnytskyi: Reconciled and God will protect an orphan, or Unexpected Proposal. In 1875, 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.

In 1881, the ban on Ukrainian theatre was abolished. Though there still were many limitations and restrictions, Ukrainian troupes emerged in Kiev, Kharkiv, and Odessa. Yet, these troupes did not satisfy 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. A new era in the history of Ukrainian professional theatre began. Many famous actors played in Kropyvnytskyi's troupe, such as Maria Zankovetska, Mykola Sadovsky, later M.Sadovska-Barilotti, Panas Saksahansky, and Ivan Karpenko-Kary. In his early days, Kropyvnytskyi wrote mainly comedy pieces: Reconciled (1869), God will protect an orphan, or Unexpected Proposal (1871), Actor Sinitsa (1871), A revision (1882), Mustache (1885) and others. • Illustration — Marko Kropyvnytskyi's grave in Kharkiv

In 1890s, Kropyvnytskyi called his pieces "pictures" on multiple occasions, such as his "pictures of rural movement" ("Konon Blyskavychenko", 1902, "Tough Day", 1906), "pictures of rural life" ("Old bitch and young shoots», 1908) etc. Even in his later years, forced by worsening health to settle in a farm House, Kropyvnytskyi often travelled to participate in theatre performances, he continued writing plays. Kropyvnytskyi bothered for organization of a school for farmers and their children, created two plays for children, using folk motifs (Ivasik-Telesyk, On the wave of the wand), and worked on its staging at the farm. Kropyvnytskyi died on 21 April 1910 on his way from Odessa, where he was on tour. He was buried in Kharkiv.

Marko Kropyvnytskyi is recorded with the occupation theatre director. Recorded with the occupation stage actor. Recorded as playwright, dramaturge, actor, composer and theatre director.