Ivan Vazov National Theatre
Bulgaria's national theatre, a neoclassical house of 1907 facing the City Garden in central Sofia.
The company grew out of the Salza i Smyah troupe and was named a national theatre in 1904. Its building, designed by the Viennese partnership of Fellner and Helmer, opened on 3 January 1907 with a neoclassical portico, allegorical friezes and a pair of Nike figures crowning the corner pavilions. A fire during a jubilee performance in 1923 gutted the auditorium and stage; the German architect Martin Dülfer directed the reconstruction, and the theatre reopened in 1929 with an enlarged stage house.
The theatre is named after Ivan Vazov, the writer regarded as the patriarch of Bulgarian literature, and stands on the edge of the City Garden opposite the former royal palace. It works across three stages: the main auditorium seating around 750, the smaller Apostol Karamitev Stage and a studio space known as Stage 4. The repertoire mixes Bulgarian drama with international classics and new writing, and selected performances carry English surtitles.
Highlights
- Neoclassical facade by Fellner and Helmer, opened in 1907
- Auditorium rebuilt by Martin Dülfer after the 1923 fire
- Three stages, including the Apostol Karamitev Stage
- Selected performances given with English surtitles
