"Stage Without Borders": Nine Theatre Productions from Eight Countries and Three Film Screenings in Sofia This June

Nine theatre productions from eight countries and three film screenings will be part of the 'Stage Without Borders' initiative, which will be held in Sofia in June. The events will be hosted by 6 different stages in Sofia.

Audiences will see the works by iconic European directors, as well as productions by Bulgarian directors staged abroad. Two of the most famous ancient tragedies, directed by Declan Donnellan, will be presented one after the other on the same evening at the National Theatre.

“Medea” by Euripides is a production of the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, while “Oedipus Rex” by Sophocles comes from the National Theatre in Craiova. Stage Without Borders opens on June 4 with “The Ploughman and Death” by Silviu Purcărete.

The event is organised by the Ivan Vazov National Theatre and the 19th edition of the World Theatre in Sofia platform by the Via Fest Foundation.

Vasil Vasilev, Director of the Ivan Vazov National Theatre:
"For the first time, we decided to join forces and open up a broader perspective for a greater future. We are combining our international programme at the National Theatre with the World Theatre in Sofia. I hope that ‘Stage Without Borders’ will attract even more partners and more theatres in Sofia to support this initiative—so it can grow bigger and bigger, giving Sofia’s audiences access to modern European and global culture, and especially to world-class theatre."

Tsvetana Maneva, Actress:
"This will become a mirror of the Balkan Peninsula. Without reciprocity, without contact, without dialogue, without empathy, without compassion—nothing can survive, not just in the Balkans, but anywhere in the world. What we can do is exactly this: to nurture that belief, that hope, and to continue making these efforts."