Kvapilová Hanna

(née Kubešová). Born Nov. 29, 1860, in Prague; died there Apr. 8, 1907. Czech actress. Daughter of a craftsman.

Kvapilová made her debut in 1886 in E. Vojan’s troupe. She became an actress with the National Theater in Prague in 1888. From the beginning of her career, Kvapilova rebelled against stage routine. In 1906 she organized the Moscow Art Theater’s tour in Prague. Her acting centered on the themes of active protest against social injustice and of the dream of freedom and a better life. As an actress she affirmed the art of profound feelings on the Czech stage; her work advanced the development of national drama. J. Vrchlicky, J. Zeyer, A. Jirasek, and other dramatists wrote plays for her. Her roles included Ophelia and Lady Macbeth (in Shakespeare’s Hamlet and Macbeth), Ismene (in Sophocles’ Antigone ), Vojnarka (in Jirasek’s play of the same name), Maria Stuart (in Schiller’s play of the same name), and Masha (in Chekhov’s Three Sisters).