Bill Gates and Steve Jobs Talk About the Future of Technology

Bill Gates and Steve Jobs Talk About the Future of Technology

Text and Direction:

Ivan Panteleev

Set and Costume Design:

Elis Veli

Music:

I. Yurukov, P. Slavov,  M. Apostolov

Cast:

Sofia Bobcheva, Alexandra Vassileva, Radena Valkanova, Iliana Kodzhabasheva, Ivan Nikolov, Hristo Petkov, Ivan Yurukov

Original music for the show:

Petko Slavov and Ivan Yurukov

live music:

Milen Apostolov, Petko Slavov, Ivan Yurukov

Bill Gates and Steve Jobs Talk About the Future of Technology is the third collaboration of the director Ivan Panteleev with the ensemble of the National Theatre. In the spirit of his previous productions with the National Theatre NEO-Summerfolk and Capital (of) Mistake, once again the focus is on the Human of today, faced with the challenges of the contemporary times. The spotlight is on the profound changes brought about by the rapidly evolving and self-improving Artificial Intelligence. Hopes and fears, opportunities and threats, euphoria and responsibility - all stemming from the scale and power of this global process of digitalization - lay the foundation of the performance, built on an original script written by the director specially for this cast.

Thematically, the production draws parallels between the Industrial Revolutions of the 18th and 19th centuries and today’s exponential technological development. It explores the fear of falling behind, of being displaced by the New, of witnessing the replacement of the world one was born and raised in.

The sense of anxiety quickly gives way to the tone of everyday speech; humor chases tragedy, and the lightness of the performances and the abstract theatre space offer the audience a journey through the labyrinths of our time. Various theatrical genres and acting practices are organically interwoven to create a stage reality that reflects - and emerges from - the times we live in.

Theatre not as magic, but as a workspace. Theatre that does not merely represent but explores. A theatre that compels the actor to think, freeing them from the obligation to portray a character, prescribed by the script. A theatre in which the actor is the central figure, and the title - just a starting point for reflection.

Dramaturg:

Mira Todorova

Second Assistant Directors:

Olga Nedyalkovа, Marinela Sivcheva

Photographer:

Stefan Zdraveski

AI generated poster.

Premiere: September 19 & 20, 2025