Today I want to tell you a story about Mako Saparova, a woman who was so courageous and zealous that she managed to choose a profession that was considered unacceptable for women at that time and became one of the leading figures of the Georgian theatre company in the 1870s.

„Among representatives, she is the only one who has been bestowed with a great talent by God. Saparov’s woman possesses such talent. She is an actress, who will become the gem of our stage. Everyone who has seen Saparov’s woman on stage agrees. She has many virtues, including her excellent Georgian pronunciation, which is especially valuable today when many have forgotten the Georgian language“ – wrote Ilia Chavchavadze in a newspaper Iveria.

Mako Saparova was born in 1860, in a family of an impoverished Georgian nobleman in Telavi. At the age of three, her grandmother Nino Chavchavadze took her in. Nino’s second husband Solomon Chavchavadze was one of the most influential and rich landowners in Kakheti. Soon the Chavchavadze family moved to Tbilisi with Mako. At home parties Mako was dancing and singing for guests, while guests often included Ilia Chavchavadze, Rapiel Eristavi, Akaki Tsereteli and others. Akaki and Rapiel were the first ones to notice Mako’s talent in acting. They were charmed by her artistry. When the Georgian theatre company was restored with the help of Ilia and Akaki, Mako was offered to join it.

At that time, choosing to be an actor was associated with a lot of obstacles for women because this profession was considered to be morally inappropriate for them. „Relatives allowed her to join the future permanent company as a professional actor, provided she would be married at that time,“ – a publicist, Giorgi Tumanishvili wrote.

However, Mako had a strong character and she had decided that she would never leave the stage. She invested her selfless love in this field and remained faithful to it till the end of her life.

Her successful stage debut was in 1878, in Moliere’s play. The woman successfully performed both dramatic and comic roles, she participated in operettas, and she did it in a unique manner. Her motto was the following: „No one has taught me, I did it myself...“ She didn’t want others to think that she copied from others, so she created her own characters: her own Josephine, Desdemona, Claudina... In addition to acting, Saparova translated Russian and French plays into Georgian.

In 1923, Mako appeared on the stage of Rustaveli Drama Theatre for the last time, in a play by Kote Marjanishvili called „Solar eclipse in Georgia“. She was soon awarded the title of National Artist of Georgia.