Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

247 theatre organisations from 39 countries appeal to European Union institutions

MEPs discuss the nationalist violence in front of the Ivan Vazov National Theatre in Sofia

Nationalists barred audience from opening night of John Malkovich's production of Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man

Photo: BGNES Archive

The clashes outside the Ivan Vazov National Theatre during the opening night of John Malkovich's production of Bernard Shaw's Arms and the Man have prompted 247 theatre organisations from 39 countries to appeal to the institutions of the European Union.
"At the National Theatre in Sofia, a more than 100-year-old play set in a fictional Bulgaria was performed without an audience on its premiere night because of attacks from ultra-nationalist circles who physically prevented the audience from entering the theatre building," the artists said in their letter to the European Parliament, stressing that attacks on artistic freedom have reached an almost absurd level in many member states.


The theatre organisations call on the European institutions to take note of the nationalist attacks against cultural institutions and the arts. 

They add that what is happening is part of an organised strategy to subordinate culture to conservative and nationalist politics, which could lead to the undermining of the Europeana 1989 project to promote Europe's cultural heritage.



Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

122 years since the outbreak of the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie uprising

The 122 nd anniversary of the outbreak of the Ilinden-Preobrazhenie uprising will be marked on 2 August in the locality Predela with a flower and wreath laying ritual at the monument Ilinden. Razlog municipality has announced that the ritual will..

published on 8/2/25 7:05 AM

The Union of Thracian Societies commemorates the Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising

In the village of Slaveyno near Smolyan, the Union of Thracian Societies in Bulgaria is organizing a National Gathering-Pilgrimage on August 2 and 3. The festival is dedicated to the 122nd anniversary of the Ilinden–Preobrazhenie Uprising and the 145th..

published on 8/2/25 5:35 AM

Temperatures begin to rise over the weekend

On Saturday minimum temperatures will range between 15 and 23° C., for Sofia 15° C. During the day the weather will be predominantly sunny, cumulus clouds will form around and after midday. There will be rain and thunder mostly in the mountain..

published on 8/1/25 6:35 PM