Roza Mikhailova Popova

Popova, Roza Mikhailova 

Born 1879, in Sofia; died Apr. 11, 1949, in Mezdra. Bulgarian actress, director, and theatrical figure.

Popova made her debut in 1897 in the troupe of S. Popov. From 1899 to 1912 she was both principal and artistic director of a theater troupe named after her and of theaters in Plovdiv and Rusa; from 1900 to 1902 she was in the Sleza i Smekh (Tears and Laughter) dramatic troupe. She studied under J. Kainz in Vienna in 1906, and she performed in Belgrade and Zagreb.

Popova’s career in the theater was marked by the search for new means of dramatic expression. She staged world classics, as well as plays by contemporary authors. Among the roles she portrayed were the title roles in Euripides’ Medea, Sophocles’s Antigone, and Grillparzer’s Sappho. Her characterizations combined delicate lyricism with a tragic quality.

Popova left the stage in 1937. She was also the author of plays, critical articles, and translations.

REFERENCE

Sbornik ν chest na Roza Popova i Mania Ikonomova. Sofia, 1926.