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Vera Pashennaya was a notable actress of traditional Russian drama based at the Maly Theatre in Moscow.
She was born on September 19, 1887, in Moscow, Russia, daughter of the classical actor Nikolai Roshchin-Insarov. From 1904 - 1907 she studied acting with A. Lensky at the Moscow Theatrical School. In 1907 she became permanent member of the troupe at the Maly Theatre. There she shone in such classical roles as Portia in 'Julius Ceasar', Anna Andreevna in 'Revizor' (aka .. Inspector General) by Nikolay Gogol, Lyubov Yarovaya in the eponymous play by Konstantin Trenyov, and Kabanikha in 'Groza' (aka.. The Storm) by 'Aleksandr Ostrovsky'.
Eventually Vera Pashennaya took over all of the leading roles in Russian classical dramas, previously played by Ermolova, and thus she preserved the continuity of the legend of Ermolova and the tradition of Maly Theatre. Since the 1920s, Pashennaya was the leading actress of Maly Theatre. She worked on stage with such actors as Olga Sadovskaya, Nikolai Annenkov, A. Yablochkina, Varvara Massalitinova, Varvara Ryzhova, Yevdokiya Turchaninova, Yelena Gogoleva, Varvara Obukhova, Yelena Shatrova, Elina Bystritskaya, Rufina Nifontova, Tatyana Eremeeva, Aleksandr Yuzhin, Aleksandr Ostuzhev, Vladimir Davydov, Sergei Aidarov, Stepan Kuznetsov, Prov Sadovsky, Boris Ravenskikh, Boris Babochkin, Mikhail Zharov, Mikhail Tsaryov, Igor Ilyinsky, Pavel Olenev, Mikhail Sadovsky, Konstantin Zubov, Viktor Khokhryakov, Vsevolod Aksyonov, Nikolai Ryzhov, Evgeniy Vesnik, Viktor Korshunov, Evgeniy Samoylov, Yuriy Solomin, and many other notable Russian actors.
Pashennaya's stage performances were admired by such contemporaries as Vsevolod Meyerhold, Konstantin Stanislavski, and Vladimir Nemirovich-Danchenko, among many others. During the 1920s she was invited by Konstantin Stanislavski and worked with the Moscow Art Theatre on several international tours, including the tour of the United States. There she performed leading roles in plays by Alexander Ostrovsky. Pashennaya was regarded for her mastery of Russian language, impeccable diction and powerful delivery. She had a rare strong voice ranging from lower masculine basso to high and sharp feminine tones; she was known for playing hilarious jokes using her deep masculine voice to mimic voices of well known men while she was in the ladies rooms.
From 1918 - 1962, Pashennaya taught acting at the Theatrical School of Maly Theatre. She was one of the founding members of the Student's Theatrical Studio in 1924, which eventually merged with Shchepkin Theatrical School of Maly Theatre. There her students were such actors as Yuriy Solomin, and many other notable Russian actors. She was designated People's Actor of the USSR (1937), was awarded the State Stalin's Prize (1943) and the State Lenin's Prize (1961). She died on October 28, 1962, and was laid to rest in Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, Russia.
