site.bta32nd Varna Summer International Theatre Festival to Kick Off on Saturday

The 32nd Varna Summer International Theatre Festival will kick off in the Black Sea city of Varna on Saturday with Ivan Vazov National Theatre’s Easter Wine. The performance, directed by Javor Gardev, will take place at the Stoyan Bachvarov Drama Theatre at 7:30 p.m.

The play, written by Konstantin Iliev, was put on at the National Theatre on the eve of the 150th death anniversary of revolutionary Vasil Levski in 2023.

Actor Vladimir Penev is in the leading role, which has brought him three domestic Best Actor awards and the Sofia Municipality Award for outstanding achievements in the field of culture.

The scenography is done by sculptor Pavel Koychev, and the costume design is by Svila Velichkova. The music by Kalin Nikolov is performed by Penev and students from the Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theater and Film Arts. "With the penetrating words of Konstantin Iliev, in the midst of the images of Pavel Koychev, we will dive into the shared pain and joy of that quiet, wise, deep, and authentic patriotism authors like them are still capable of. Even at times when the faces of the saints hang on people’s calves," Gardev said.

Also in the programme on Saturday is the Fireter Theatre of Fire and Shadows’ show Snailmobile, which will be put on in Varna’s Nezavisimost Square at 12 a.m. and at 9:30 p.m., following the opening of the Festival. One of the leading Bulgarian street theatre companies, the Fireter Theatre of Fire and Shadows has held shows at many international festivals in Greece, Romania, the UK, Ukraine, Germany, Russia, Belgium, Portugal, and Turkiye, to name but a few. Their performances are a mix of theatre, stilts, music, fire, dance, metal, and inflatable constructions, which always take place outdoors. Snailmobile’s scenography is done by Hristo Gyuzelev, Chudomir Dragnev, and Plamen Ivanov. The costume design is by Boyan Hristov. The cast includes Rosalia Mitrova, Vyara Bolgradova, Mikhail Davidov, Viktor Teofilov, Ilia Korovezis, and Plamen Ivanov.

Traditionally, the Varna Summer Festival and the Varna State Puppet Theatre greet children on the occasion of Children's Day, June 1. This year, a performance directed by Vera Stoykova and based on the classic fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm’s The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats was staged at 11 a.m. 

Organized by the Via Fest Foundation, the 32nd Varna Summer International Theatre Festival will run until June 15. Its programme includes 28 theatrical performances from Bulgaria and abroad.