More about
Many Ancient Theatres at the Ancient Theatre of Plovdiv. For the First Time in Bulgaria.
What is the concept of the EX MACHINA festival?
The core idea of the First Festival for Professional and Youth Ancient Theatres is built around the connection between:
- Culture and education
- Antiquity and modernity
- High culture and everyday life
What’s in the program?
Get ready for a full day of ancient theatre on April 3rd and 4th:
- During the day – youth theatre performances
- In the evening – professional productions
On April 5th, we will officially close the festival with an award ceremony and a roundtable discussion featuring jury members and special guests. This discussion is open to everyone interested (or even those who aren’t 😊) in ancient theatre and its connection to philosophy, contemporary life, language, speech, psychology, wine, architecture, and much more.
A detailed program will be published soon on our website and social media.
Who will participate?
- Professional performances based on ancient texts from Bulgaria, Italy, and Greece.
- Youth theatre productions from the same countries, offering a modern XXI-century perspective on ancient theatre.
More details about our extraordinary participants from various Bulgarian, Italian, and Greek cities will be announced soon.
Who is on the jury, and what will special guests do?
The jury includes directors, scenographers, philologists, philosophers, composers, actors, visual artists, and sommeliers. They will evaluate all performances from different professional perspectives.
On the final day, a roundtable discussion will bring together experts from academia, the creative industries, and entrepreneurship to share their insights on EX MACHINA’s central theme: the relationship between Antiquity and our modern world.
Who are we?
The First Festival for Professional and Youth Ancient Theatres – EX MACHINA is organized by the Foundation for Ancient Theatre "Ognyan Radev", in partnership with:
- Plovdiv Municipality
- Plovdiv Opera
- Ancient Plovdiv
- Academy of Music, Dance, and Fine Arts "Prof. Asen Diamandiev"
- National High School for Stage and Screen Arts – Plovdiv
- Italian Association for Ancient Theatre "DIDE"
- Bulgarian Association of Winemakers
- Free Plovdiv Tour
- Reflector Foundation
The festival is part of the International Network of Ancient Theatres AMENANOS NOSTOS, with editions in Italy, Greece, and Cyprus.
The festival is supported by the Embassy of Italy in Bulgaria and the Embassy of Greece in Bulgaria.
The project is funded by the National Culture Fund’s "Festivals" Program under the Ministry of Culture.
This event is also made possible thanks to private donors. More information about our institutional, creative, and media partners will be available soon on the Ancient Theatre "Ognyan Radev" website.
Join us! Spread the word! 🎭
You can support the festival and our activity at:
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=JPTLSPCBY2W9Y
http://patreon.com/ancienttheatreradev
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