Holding evenings dedicated to famous women of our region for the staff of the Volyn Museum of Local Lore has already become a good tradition. The theme of the September meeting was a story about the life of the Ukrainian actress Maria Mykolaivna Klymenko. The evening was dedicated to the anniversary of our fellow countrywoman – this month she would have turned 80. There are individuals whose fate resembles the flash of a distant star. Their life path is illuminated by the light of great talent, and when they pass into eternity, the memories of these people warm the souls of their contemporaries for a long time. Such was Maria Klymenko – a famous actress, a star of the Volyn stage, who devoted 34 years of her life to the theater. Maria Mykolaivna was born in Kyiv. Before World War II, her father was transferred to Lutsk for work. During the occupation, he became an underground fighter, was arrested and died in Hitler's torture chambers. Maria was taken to forced labor in Germany. The spring of 1945 brought liberation. The girl became a fighter of the road-construction detachment of the III Guards Army, took part in the offensive on Berlin, in the liberation of Prague. After demobilization, she returned to Lutsk. She came to the theater in 1946. The talented girl was immediately noticed by directors, and therefore she soon began to be approved for central roles. She made her debut in the play "Come to Dzvonkove" by M. Korniichuk, and real success came to the actress after performing the role of Tania in the production "Behind the Second Front" by V. Sobko. "Under the Black Mask," "The Gypsy Aza," "Yustyna," "Katria," "The Queen of Tulips" – this is only a small part of all those productions in which Maria Klymenko played. Information about this can be gleaned from the exposition of a small photo-documentary exhibition located in the assembly hall of the museum, where, in fact, the evening dedicated to the actress's anniversary took place. Actors of the Volyn Music and Drama Theater shared their memories of their colleague: Lidiia Balbuza: "She did not work on a role, she lived it. She even supplemented costumes with some accessories as she saw fit. She was very hardworking, very demanding of herself and her partners." Oleksandr Putu: "I am grateful to fate for allowing me to work with such a talented actress as Maria Klymenko. It was a great pleasure to work together with her as a pair. Once on tour in Russia, after a discussion of the play, one of the critics admitted: 'You are very lucky to have such an actress. God gave her everything – a beautiful voice, temperament, and appearance.'" Liudmyla Prykhodko: "There are actors who play roles and create images. Maria Klymenko was one of the latter. If only you had seen how she worked on a role! Maria Mykolaivna never studied at any theater institute. Being naturally gifted, she mastered acting skills on her own. Believe me, she knew how to learn. As a person and as a personality – she has no equal. Let us bow to the bright memory of Maria Mykolaivna." Reference. Maria Mykolaivna Klymenko devoted 20 years of her life to the Volyn Regional Music and Drama Theater. For ten years she worked on the stage of the Ternopil Theater. In 1979, by Decree of the Presidium of the Verkhovna Rada of the Ukrainian SSR, M.M. Klymenko was awarded the honorary title of People's Artist of the Ukrainian SSR. And in 2000, Maria Klymenko was granted a State Scholarship as an outstanding figure of culture of Ukraine.