ART THEATRE is a professional Bulgarian troupe. It was created in Sofia in 1992 by actress Milena Chervenkova and dramatist Sergei Litvinenko. The theatre is based in the RUSSIAN CULTURAL AND INFORMATION CENTRE. Over the years, over seventy actors and actresses have worked in ART THEATRE, along with directors Boyko Iliev, Sabi Sabev, Ivan Kondov, Nadya Asenova, Assoc. Prof. Alexander Iliev, Dimitar Stoyanov, guest director from the Moscow Young Spectators’ Theatre Prof. Alexander Velikovski, etc. Thirty-four productions have been staged so far and a total of 1530 performances have taken place.
The children’s repertoire of ART THEATRE is based on world classics for children and young people including:
“Pippi Longstocking” – Astrid Lindgren’s musical.
“The Wheat Loaf” by Sergei Litvinenko.
“The Snow Queen” by Evgenii Schwarz.
“Sleeping Beauty” by Rada Moskova.
“The Secret of the Golden Key” adapted from Alexei Tolstoy.
“The Wizard of Oz” from Baum and Volkov.
“Love for Three Oranges”: a dell’arte comedy adapted from Carlo Gozzi.
“The Extraordinary Red Riding Hood” by Kamen Koev
Over the years, ART THEATRE and the Russian Cultural and Information Centre have organised and presented one of the most beautiful New Year celebrations in Sofia. Ten plays are performed in one week, followed by an art discotheque and presents given to each of the 3000 children who come to the performances.
Every two months the troupe performs a charity play for orphaned children.
ART THEATRE’s repertoire for adults includes:
- “Dear Elena Sergeevna” by L. Razumovskaya; the wonderful Bulgarian actress Violeta Gindeva plays the role of Elena Sergeevna.
- Since 1997 ART THEATRE has worked with the Russian director and teacher Professor Al. Velikovski. He has created the following plays with us:
- “The Little Prince” adapted from Exupery (1997)
- “Behind Closed Doors” by Jean-Paul Sartre (1998)
- “Pushkin ... Angelo” adapted from Pushkin and Shakespeare (1999)
- “Dogs” by L. and A. Chutko (2004). This play was selected for participation in the International Theatre Festival in Avignon, France in July 2005. The appearance is under the honorary patronage of the Vice-President of the Republic of Bulgaria, General Angel Marin.
The play was prepared and performed entirely in French. ART THEATRE takes part in the full festival programme: from the 8th to the 30th July 2005, twenty-three plays were performed on the stage of the Bourg-Neuf theatre. One of them was attended by the Bulgarian Ambassador in France, Mrs. Irina Bokova. The participation of Bulgaria turned into one of the events of the festival. Out of 750 plays from all over the world, the Canal 5 French cultural channel selected 12 of them for coverage.
One of these 12 was “Dogs”. As a result of the troupe’s good appearances, ART THEATRE has been invited to take part again in the Avignon 2007 festival. The project selected is a modern version of the classic work “Princess Tourandot”, adapted from Carlo Gozzi. The participation of ART THEATRE in Avignon 2007 will be under the honorary patronage of Mr. Ivailo Kalfin, the Foreign Minister of the Republic of Bulgaria and Irina Bokova, the Bulgarian Ambassador in France.
International guest performances:
1996: ART THEATRE guest performance on the stage of the Moscow Kukol Theatre with “The War Game" and "Pippi Longstocking", performed in Russian. The Moscow Kukol Theatre appeared as guest one month later in Sofia.
1998: ART THEATRE guest performance in the Sergei Gerasimov Pan-Russian State Cinematographic Institute with "The Little Prince" and "Pippi Longstocking" One month later, the Theatre Studio of graduates of Professor Alexei Batalov performed a return visit in Sofia.
2002: Guest performance of the S. Obraztzov State Academic Central Puppet Theatre on the stage of the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, the Bourgas State Theatre, the Yambol State Theatre and the Kozloduy Cultural Centre. One month later ART THEATRE performed as guests at the Obraztzov Theatre with “The Little Prince” and “The Secret of the Golden Key”. This bilateral project was under the honorary patronage of the Vice-President of Bulgaria, General Angel Marin.
2003: Guest performance of ART THEATRE on the stage of the Teremok theatre in Saratov with “The Little Prince” and “The Secret of the Golden Key”. Later in the same year the Saratov theatre returned the visit to ART THEATRE at the Russian Cultural and Information Centre.
ART THEATRE is one of the few theatres with poetic plays in its repertoire:
“Rapacious Eternity” adapted from the verses of the young Serbian poet Milan Blagoevic
“The New Church” adapted from the verses of Georgi Drambozov
“Such Is My Fate” adapted from the verses of Atanas Koev
“Don Quixote and Friends” adapted from the verses of Valeri Petrov, Atanas Koev, Georgi Drambozov and Sergei Litvinenko.
The latter two plays enjoyed the special participation of Prof. Vladimir Radulov with his jazz improvisations.
During the last four years the actors in the troupe have remained constant. They include nine professional actors who graduated from the Krustio Sarafov National Academy of Theatrical and Cinematographic Arts (NATCA) and the New Bulgarian University. Their average age is 29 years and they include: Irina Yankulova, Mariana Stoilova, Milena Chervenkova, Alexander Georgiev, Kalin Vrachanski, Kamen Koev and Yavor Kostov.
Throughout its existence, the theatre has been directed by its founder Milena Chervenkova. From 1999 to the present its artistic director has been Mr. Vasil Chervenkov.
Creative plan for the fifteenth anniversary season, 2006/2007:
“Zahari Zograf’s Sinful Love”, staged by Prof. Nikola Galabov.
“Once Upon a Time in the East there was Princess Tourandot”, staged by Andrei Kaludov.
“Mary Poppins”, the children’s musical staged by Sabi Sabev.