She created Kupalovsky

March 23 marks the 125th anniversary of the birth of Olga Vladimirovna Galina (1899–1980). The acting activity of the People's Artist of the BSSR is one of the brightest pages in the history of the Belarusian theatre.

Olga Grudinskaya was born in the town of Zheludok in the Lida district of the Vilna province (now the urban settlement of the Shchuchinsky district of the Grodno region) in the family of a teacher. When Olga turned 6 years old, she and her family moved to Vilnius, where she lived until the outbreak of the First World War. In 1914, the family was evacuated to Tula, where Olga first studied at a gymnasium, and then entered a theatre studio, while working at the statistical office.

The beginning of Olga Vladimirovna's creative career was the theatrical stage of amateur groups in Tula. One of the first roles is the image of Faith ("The Self-Willed One" by I. Krylov). Since 1919 she lived in Akhtyrka (Ukraine), played there on the stage of the People's House, since 1921 she performed in the troupe of the political department of the 45th Infantry Division.

Since 1923 Olga Galina is among the actors of the Belarusian State Theatre. The actress belongs to the first generation of Kupala residents, she created the theatre together with future People's Artists of Belarus, such major masters of the stage as V. Krylovich, V. Vladomirsky, G. Grigonis, G. Glebov, B. Platonov, S. Stanyuta, L. Rzhetskaya, I. Zhdanovich. She made her debut as Anna in the play "Masheka" by E. Mirovich. It was at this time that Olga began using the pseudonym Galina, which was suggested to her by Jakub Kolas. The acquaintance of the future famous actress with the national writer took place thanks to his wife, Maria Dmitrievna Kamenskaya, who was Olga's first teacher. Then they met more than once, during the Great Patriotic War they corresponded with Maria Dmitrievna, and one day Olga received a parcel with books by a Belarusian singer with his autographs.

V. Galina as Kupavina ("Wolves and Sheep" by A. Ostrovsky)

With a delicate taste, lyrical, Olga Galina was as if created for the classical Russian and foreign repertoire. Over the years of theatrical activity, she has created many unique female images. Among the most convincing and striking are Kupavina ("Wolves and Sheep" by A. Ostrovsky), Theodora ("Stupid for others, smart for herself" by Lope de Vega), Capulet ("Romeo and Juliet"At. Shakespeare), Ranevskaya, Arkadina ("The Cherry Orchard" and "The Seagull" by A. Chekhov), Sofia Kolomiytseva ("The Last" by M. Gorky). Elena Kosheva ("Young Guard" by A. Fadeev), Maria Ulyanova ("Family" by I. Popov), Maria Polezhaeva ("Restless Old Age" by L. Rakhmanov) and others showed a special inclination to embody women mothers, showed their heroism, self-sacrifice. The pinnacle of the actress's creative skills was the last role – the image of Anna Karenina in the play "The Living Corpse" by L. Tolstoy. In 1962 Olga Galina has completed her career. She remembered with nostalgia and warmth: "And how many interesting creative meetings there have been in the theater during my life, with famous directors, artists, writers, critics! How many unforgettable meetings with the audience from different cities of the country took place during my 40-year work at the Yanka Kupala Theatre."

V. Galina as Arkadina ("The Seagull" by A. Chekhov)

Olga Vladimirovna Galina was awarded a number of awards for her creative achievements: the Order of the Badge of Honour (1940), the Order of the Red Banner of Labour (1948, 1955), in 1946 she was awarded the title of "People's Artist of the BSSR".

She proved herself to be an excellent teacher, teaching in the studios at the theatre and at the Belarusian State Theatre Institute. She appeared in periodicals with memoirs of theatrical figures, reviews of performances.

For more information about Olga Vladimirovna Galina's stage and teaching activities, please refer to the electronic catalog of the National Library of Belarus, text materials and bibliography are contained in the online encyclopedia "Belarus in Persons and Events".