The play Anna, The Incorrigible (original title: Intractable Woman: A Theatrical Memo on Anna
Politkovskaya), by renowned Italian author Stefano Massini is dedicated to Russian journalist
and human rights activist Anna Politkovskaya. Written in 2007, a year after her assassination, the
play is as much theatre as it is documentary. Director Nadya Pancheva’s production is based on
excerpts from Politkovskaya’s personal notebooks from Novaya Gazeta, her reports, books, and
real events surrounding her investigation of the Second Chechen War (1999–2000).

Though rooted in documentary facts, the performance creates a powerful and compelling image
of something greater – an unyielding commitment to seeking the truth and defending it at all
costs, even at the risk of a fatal outcome.

Bulgaria is the first country in Eastern Europe where the play has been staged. “The big question
that preoccupied me was what happens in the mind of a person who stands up against a massive,
impenetrable system,” shares actress Nevena Kaludova. Following the success of the semi-
documentary monodrama I Am My Own Wife (Varna Summer International Theatre Festival
2024), Nadya Pancheva once again brings to the stage a story of a strong historical figure who
has become a symbol of the fight for freedom of speech.
Nominated for the National Theatre Award Icarus 2025 for Best Leading Actress (Nevena
Kaludova) and Best Set Design (Yasmin Mandelli).

With English subtitles.