A mono show presented in Rome not long ago puts two women in the spotlight - representing different generations and nationalities - to tell their story that has lost none of its edge in our day.

“Diary of the War came to me intuitively, literally,” says Silviya Stanoeva. The actress says she will never forget 12 October, 2021, when, to give rein to her imagination before a show, she put down on paper a spontaneous text.

“There appeared the picture of a woman walking in the park, a feverish woman walking by herself in the dark, concealing some kind of supplies,” she remembers. “Then the picture of a man took shape and gradually things fell into place. The storyline follows the personal journey of Elena Mosier who lives in Paris, occupied by the Nazis during World War II. Her story is interwoven with the life of a modern-day Elena – an author, who after experiencing the personal trauma of abandonment describes her life in a book. Elena Panayotova finds the notes of the other Elena at an auction in Rotterdam.”

In her mono show Silviya Stanoeva shows the many faces of war which, like a monster with thousands of tentacles, reaches deep into the human soul on different levels. “War is inside us, war is all around – when you have to fight for and grab your right to exist,” she says.

“The most important issue of all is how war changes us, and the role of women in this situation,” the actress goes on to say. “But the issue that was probably closest to my heart then was how to support life. Because we must take responsibility for this life, we are not here just to seize the moment, as it is now the vogue to believe, but to leave something behind. There is one more personal line as well – that freedom is not something one gets as a gift, that even in countries where life looks peaceful and secure we need to fight to make a statement that we exist.”

When Silviya Stanoeva wrote the text for her mono show Russia had not started its war against Ukraine. She now says comparisons are inevitable. That is why, like the Elena from Paris of the Second World War, there exists a latter-day Elena from Ukraine.

“When there is war there probably exist different Elenas,” Silviya Stanoeva says. “What these two women have in common is their patriotism, their sense of pride, of honour, of mission. There comes a big release – the self-awareness of having discovered your mission to protect.”

Silviya Stanoeva has been living in Rome for nine months, looking for a career most of all in cinema. She is to present her Diary of the War to a Bulgarian audience in several different countries. Meanwhile she has been auditioning for different roles as she endeavours to make her dream of acting come true in Italy.

“That is my battle, and I want it to lead me to the opportunity of carving out a career as an actress,” says Silviya Stanoeva. “That would mean total happiness to me – being able to act, being accepted, being always up to standard, discovering new things. And also – growing stronger and stronger, as a person and as an actor.”

Photos courtesy of Silviya Stanoeva