The 34th edition of the Varna Summer International Theatre Festival has officially begun, once again turning Varna into one of the important stages for theatrical dialogue in Bulgaria and Europe.
From the very first festival days, Varna came alive with the energy of theatre, while the host stages gave this year’s edition a powerful start. Varna State Puppet Theatre presented the production The Proud Goose to the audience, and Stoyan Bachvarov Drama Theatre opened its participation in the programme with The Good Person of Szechwan. The culmination of the official opening was the large-scale and impactful production Little England by the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, adapted for the stage and directed by Diana Dobreva.
Over the course of eleven festival days, the Varna Summer International Theatre Festival will present more than 30 events featuring over 100 artists. The programme brings together major productions from the Bulgarian stage, international performances, meetings, discussions, and special events that outline current directions in contemporary theatre.
The official opening of the festival was attended by a number of distinguished guests. The 34th edition of the Varna Summer International Theatre Festival was launched by Marina Vasileva – Deputy Minister of Culture, Sofia Koleva – Deputy Mayor of Varna Municipality in charge of culture, Nikolay Yordanov – Director of the Festival and Via Fest Foundation, Irinei Konstantinov – Chairman of the Bulgarian Association of Theatres, and Daniela Dimova – Director of the Theatre and Music Production Centre – Varna.
The team of the Varna Summer International Theatre Festival and Via Fest Foundation express their gratitude for the attention, congratulatory addresses, and support received from:
Evtim Miloshev – Minister of Culture
Blagomir Kotsev – Mayor of Varna Municipality
Mario Smurkov – Regional Governor of Varna Region
Hristo Dimitrov – Chairman of Varna Municipal Council
Elena Koseva and Ivelina Shaban – Executive Directors of Sts. Constantine and Helena Holding
Maria Dimitrova and Evgeni Dyankov – GERB Political Party
Daniela Dimova – Director of the Theatre and Music Production Centre – Varna
Vera Stoykova – Director of Varna State Puppet Theatre
Boyan Ivanov – Director of Sava Ognyanov Drama Theatre – Ruse
Viktoria Miteva – Head of the National Palace of Culture – Congress Centre, Varna Branch
Their support is an important sign of the festival’s significance as a sustainable cultural tradition and as a space for encounters between artists, audiences, and institutions.
The celebration of theatre continues in the venues of Varna. The full programme of the 34th edition of the Varna Summer International Theatre Festival is available on the festival’s website. We look forward to welcoming you!
The Varna Summer International Theatre Festival is organised by Via Fest Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of Culture, Varna Municipality, the Ministry of Tourism, the National Culture Fund, and the Varna Summer International Music Festival. The event is also supported by Fun Port Varna, Hotel Cherno More, Hotel Modus, Hotel Aqua, Grand Hotel London, Hotel Capitol, Boutique Hotel Splendid, Hotel Opera Plaza, Hotel & Gallery Graffit, Villa Grivitsa Winery, and with the media support of the Bulgarian National Television, the Bulgarian News Agency, Radio Varna, BG Radio, Portal Kultura, ScenArt, Impressio, Moreto.net, Vupreki.com, Literary Newspaper, Nova Varna, Art Varna, and others.