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

Temperatures will drop, it will rain over Western and Central Bulgaria on Friday

On Friday, the minimum temperatures in Bulgaria will be from 7 to 12°C. In Sofia, it will be around 10°C. During the day, the cloudiness over the western and central regions will be broken and decrease to mostly sunny spells. After lunch, clouds will..

published on 4/17/25 7:25 PM
Marin Marinov

Washington Post: UN staffer Marin Marinov was killed in Israeli tank attack

The explosions at a UN guesthouse in Gaza on March 19, which killed Bulgarian UN staffer Marin Marinov and seriously injured five others, were most likely caused by two Israeli tank shells.  Marin Marinov is the Bulgarian who died in the attack..

published on 4/17/25 4:56 PM

Rosen Zhelyazkov's cabinet survives second vote of no confidence

The cabinet headed by Rosen Zhelyazkov survived the second vote of no confidence. It was submitted by the MECH party, with the support of "Vazrazhdane" and "Velichie" parties due to its failure to deal with corruption.  MECH files vote of no..

published on 4/17/25 3:06 PM