The ClassTheatre is an independent artistic organization, established back in 2013. It unites 20 graduates of the NAFTA academy of film and theatre art from the class of Associate Prof. Ivaylo Hristov. The name describes the logical continuation of these young people’s relations, built up over the 4 years together. They love the joint work, even though it may be hard sometimes. Their theatrical views match and hence their decision not to separate and to get even closer – now as professional actors. I met with three young people from Class right after a long rehearsal at the SFUMATO theatre workshop. Here is what Victoria Angelova, Dragomir Draganov and Ivaylo Draganov told us on the start of their joint project and the work onstage:

“Prof. Hristov told us we are a complete troupe and that our achievement is really valuable. We understand each other with a single glimpse which is essential for work onstage. He advised us to keep this group, as the professional theatres were looking to build up the same thing that we already had. We began to produce our own shows. At this stage – classical texts: Moliere’s The Miser, followed by Shakespeare’s Midsummer Night’s Dream – eternal subjects,” Victoria said.

The goal of the society is to inspire Bulgaria’s youth, bringing people back to theatre with shows of best quality which provoke thoughts. The young people say they carry out most of the preparation process: costumes, make-up etc. Some of the rehearsals even take place in their own homes. Still, what makes them continue?

“When it all happened, the happiest moment followed – the premiere. We were incredibly happy to step out there, seeing everything we had done with our own hands. We saw it possible and happening. The audience was pretty exalted,” Victoria goes on to say.

The actors told us some secrets from behind the scenes:

“We rehearsed with a colleague and I forgot my text. I was staring at him, he was looking at me – that lasted pretty long,” Ivaylo laughs. Dragomir recalls the shocking story of a piece of decoration fallen upon the head of Victoria. The wooden frame could have hurt her, but the girl went right through the middle.

There are many problems accompanying the joy, mainly financial. What is the funding of the society?

“The funding comes from two places – the ministry of culture and the Sofia Municipality. The budgets spared are small and there are many people out there, willing to create independent stuff. No more than 20 – 30 % of the project are covered and we need donors. However, it is not common for Bulgarian private companies to donate,” Dragomir comments.

The Class Theatre has recently joined a charity initiative – the money collected by Midsummer Night’s Dream show went for the treatment of a small girl, suffering from cerebral palsy. The mission was successful thanks to the society and other good people.

The Class Theatre plans more for 2016, hoping it will be a successful year. The enthusiasts dream of a permanent stage of their own, as every new show has been on a different one so far. These fantastic young people also dream about travels abroad, movie parts and more international festivals in their future which seems bright.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev