NEW DRAMATIC THEATRE "SALZA I SMYAH"

HISTORICAL REFERENCE

The NEW DRAMATIC THEATRE "SALZA I SMYAH" is a successor of the name of the oldest professional Bulgarian metropolitan theatrical company, established in 1892 i.e. 12 years preceding the establishment of the National Theatre.

In the first twelve-year period 1892-1903 of the existence of the theatrical company it has used a subsidy, voted and granted by the National Assembly. In those first years of the theatre "Salza i Smyah" have been drawn up the roots of the managerial institution in the Bulgarian theatre, the directors alignments, the first working regulations of professional theatrical company. The first scholarships for professional training of Bulgarian actors in Germany, Russia and France (Krastyo Sarafov, Vasil Kirkov, the composer Panayot Pipkov, Adriana Budevska, Geno Kirov, Vera Ignatieva and others) have been granted to nominees from the theatre "Salza i Smyah". In the time, when the theatre in Bulgaria was at a semi-amateur level (just remember the chapter " The emotions of Rada" from the novel of Ivan Vazov "Under the Yoke") this theatrical company had followed the conventions of the professional theatre as an institution, as well as the repertoire and financial policy. The historic fate of the theatrical company "Salza i Smyah", which later on had been transformed in profounder of the National Theatre had suffered many different changes including closing and re-opening by Anton Strashimirov under the name "Smyah i Salzi" to reach "Salza i Smyah", which has resurrected as the bird Phoenix in the 60's of the last century initially as a branch of the National Theatre, as a base for setting up later on of the theatrical companies of the Satirical Theatre and of the New Dramatic Theatre "Salza i Smyah".

From its establishment until now at the stage of the theatre "Salza i Smyah" have been staged hundreds of plays from the Bulgarian and the world theatrical classics. A number of mythical names in the Bulgarian theatrical acting and directing from the legendary generation from the time of the founders of the Bulgarian theatre to the present-day theatrical stars have started their creative careers from there.

Today the New Dramatic Theatre "Salza i Smyah" is a legal entity and the "OPEN STAGE - PRODUCTION CENTRE" is running several task programmes for young, middle and adult audience in Sofia. The performances of the theatre regularly take part in festivals in the country and abroad, and the high artistic level of its productions is satisfying the cultural needs in a very wide pallette and is promoting to the cultural image of Bulgaria.

In its decade history the New Dramatic Theatre "Salza i Smyah" has worked hardly and is continuing to work as an elite Bulgarian cultural institute, which forms a system of moral values in its numerous spectators and fans.