Roshchina-Insarova Е.N. (1883-1970), actress

Categories / Art/Music, Theatre/Personalia
ROSHCHINA-INSAROVA Ekaterina Nikolaevna (nee Pashennaya) (1883-1970), actress, actor N. P. Roshchin-Insarov's daughter and actress V. N. Pashennaya's sister. She made her debut in 1897 and appeared on stage in the country, as well as at F. A. Korsch Theatre in Moscow from 1899. She played at the theatre of the Literature and Art Society in 1905-09, at K. N. Nezlobin's Theatre in 1909-11 and Maly Theatre also in 1911-13 (both in Moscow). She was an actress at the Alexandrinsky Theatre in 1913-18. With her natural elegance and nerve, she was an emotional and stylish performer. She played similar roles showing sorrow, confusion and the hidden drama of a woman's soul. V. E. Meyerhold, a director of many of her performances, considered her to be the most talented actress in the company. Among her roles were Finochka in Z. N. Gippius' Green Ring in 1915, Eliza in G. B. Shaw's Pygmalion in 1915, and Nina in M. Y. Lermontov's Masquerade in 1917. It is Katerina in A. N. Ostrovsky's Storm, however, that was the central role in her theatric biography. Meyerhold's poetic interpretation of 1916 was perfectly suitable for the actress to portray Katerina as a kind of Nesterov's hermit girl. Among other renowned roles were Lulu in H. Bataille's Naked Woman, Anfisa in L. N. Andreev's play of the same name, Marguerite Gautier in A. Dumas Fils' Camille, and Anna in V. I. Nemirovich-Danchenko's Price of Life. As a film actress, she played Mariza in Old Days of Kashira of 1911 and Anfisa in the film of the same name of 1912. She left for the south of Russia with her officer husband in 1918 and emigrated in 1919. She was a director at her own studio and studio-based Russian Chamber Theatre in Riga in 1923-24. Living in Paris from 1925, she played roles in Russian and English until 1949 and also taught acting.

Reference: Е. Н. Рощина-Инсарова, артистка императорских театров: Биогр. заметка. Пг., 1916; Из зарубежных архивов // Театр. жизнь. 1993. № 3. С. 20-23.

A. A. Kirillov. Andreev Leonid Nikolaevich
Bataille Henri Felix
Dumas Alexandre (Dumas pere)
Gippius Zinaida Nikolaevna
Korsch Fedor Adamovich
Lermontov Mikhail Yurievich
Meyerhold Vsevolod Emilievich
Nemirovich-Danchenko Vladimir Ivanovich
Nezlobin Konstantin Nikolaevich
Ostrovsky Alexander Nikolaevich
Pashennaya Vera Nikolaevna
Roshchin-Insarov Nikolay Petrovich
Roshchina-Insarova Ekaterina Nikolaevna
Shaw George Bernard
Из зарубежных архивов // Театр. жизнь, 1993
Е. Н. Рощина-Инсарова, артистка императорских театров: Биогр. заметка. Пг., 1916 Literary and Artistic Society Theatre
Alexandrinsky Theatre
Literary and Artistic Society Theatre