Balgarianovinite.com BTA’s press club in Athens hosted a press briefing on Monday to present a summary of the Ivan Vazov National Theatre’s summer tour in Greece. The event took place after Euripides’s The Bacchae was staged at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus on July 10 and 11 as part of the Athens Epidaurus Festival.
Director Javor Gardev shared that his production of The Bacchae was inspired by his longstanding curiosity about antiquity as “something alive that can speak to the present”. Gardev also highlighted the role of culture in strengthening relations between Bulgaria and Greece, saying meaningful dialogue between the two countries should begin at the cultural level. He said bringing Bulgarian and Greek actors together in the same production created a shared artistic space where they could work and create on equal terms.
Ivan Vazov National Theatre Director Vasil Vasilev praised Gardev for demonstrating the strength of the Bulgarian theatre tradition and for showing how theatrical art can unite two countries such as Bulgaria and Greece. Vasilev voiced gratitude to Athens Epidaurus Festival Director Michail Marinos, Artistic Director of the National Theatre of Northern Greece Asterios Peltekis, and Dimitris Arvanitis, whom he credited with firmly believing that the two sides could come together to create the production.
Vegas Culture Director Dimitris Arvanitis described the Ivan Vazov National Theatre’s first participation in the Athens Epidaurus Festival as a historic moment. Vegas Culture co-produced the staging of the play. Arvanitis congratulated the production’s director and praised three Bulgarian actresses representing the new generation: Kremena Slavcheva, Alexandra Svilenova and Nadya Keranova.
Bulgarian actor Leonid Yovchev, who plays the Greek god Dionysus, shared that it is a pleasure to perform at Epidaurus. Yovchev said: “The chance these days to have 15,000-16,000 people in one place, set apart in the silence of nature, amid the dark hills of the Peloponnese – and this is not a poetic image – is an extraordinary honour and privilege.”
Greek actor Michail Tabakakis, who plays king Pentheus, expressed gratitude to the team behind the staging. He shared: “I don’t know if my Bulgarian colleagues can understand how significant it is for a Greek to perform for the first time at Epidaurus.” An even greater challenge for him was the fact that the play is performed in English rather than his native Greek.
Bulgarian actor Ivan Yurukov pointed out that The Bacchae transcends its time and remains relevant in every period of human history. Yurukov stated that acting on the stage of the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus can be described as a milestone in an actor’s career.
Set designer Nikola Toromanov-Ficho shared that this is a complex, intricate project that was completed in a very short time given the circumstances. The production brings together Bulgarian and Greek actors, with live music performed by the British band The Tiger Lillies. The production will have 13 performances in ancient theatres across Greece. Toromanov also noted the lack of state funding for the project.
BTA Director General Kiril Valchev stated: “When we speak about a play that is two and a half millennia old, we should be careful with the term ‘historic’. However, it is a historic fact that, for the first time, a Bulgarian theatre has been presented in Epidaurus and is then embarking on such an extensive tour of the ancient theatres of Greece. And it is doing so with an ancient Greek play and in partnership with a Greek theatre.”
Athens-Macedonian News Agency Editor-in-Chief John Georgiou pointed out that the production of The Bacchae is a shared challenge undertaken by two leading theatre institutions in the Balkans. He added that this production offers an opportunity to see a Balkan interpretation of The Bacchae with a distinctly international character. He highlighted the choice of live music, noting that although its use has become relatively common in recent years, in this case it is performed by an ensemble of an exceptionally high calibre.
Bulgarian Ambassador to Greece Valentin Poriazov said that what director Javor Gerdov accomplished in Epidaurus represents the culmination of a tremendous effort to bring the Bulgarian and Greek peoples closer together. The Ambassador described the peoples of Bulgaria and Greece as the foundation of stability and security throughout the region since the fall of the Berlin Wall and even before that. Bulgarian National Theatre to Tour Greece after Staging Euripides in Epidaurus Twice 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-07-13 18:37:00 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law
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