by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt
Stoyan Radev
Snezhina Rusinova-Zdravkova
Elitsa Georgieva
Teodora Popova
Hristo Chuchkov
One-woman show by Bilyana Petrinska
"Sing well, live well, die well"—this is the motto that opera prima donna Carlotta Berlumi follows in her life and professional path. And it seems she truly succeeds: gifted with a naturally beautiful voice, she wins a competition at 17, and by twenty, she is already singing in Aida at Milan’s La Scala. Life is generous to her—showering her with talent, loyal admirers, and numerous lovers. But the appearance of another opera star seems to cast a shadow over her victorious march across the world’s stages: Maria Callas. When she first meets her, Carlotta fails to gauge the danger posed by the ambitious Greek woman. Later, however, she begins to see the malevolent influence of Callas in every one of her professional and romantic failures. Her rival is her complete opposite: with a voice like a "fire siren," with innovation in her stage presence, and the look of a model. But the most inexplicable thing is the behavior of the audience—spectators admire Carlotta, but some prefer to watch Callas and boo her rather than hear Berlumi. A failure by Callas generates more interest than a triumph by Berlumi. What is the key to this mystery? What constitutes the magic with which Callas manages to seduce crowds around the world? Carlotta Berlumi attempts to find the answer to these questions in the twilight of her days, when she is left to fulfill the final part of her motto—a "good death."
Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt is a French playwright, novelist, essayist, and director. His works have been translated into 45 languages, and his plays are performed in more than 50 countries. He is well known to the Bulgarian audience through numerous productions based on his plays and literary works. His novel The Rival, also translated into Bulgarian, was released in France in 2023 to mark the 100th anniversary of Maria Callas’s birth. The author created a theatrical adaptation of it specifically for this Ivan Vazov National Theatre project.
Stoyan Radev is a Bulgarian theater and film director. He graduated from NATFA "Krastyo Sarafov" in the class of Prof. Krasimir Spasov in 1998. He has directed over 50 theatrical productions, including Solaris (2000, TR Sfumato), The Brothers Karamazov (2005, DT Plovdiv), A Doll’s House (2007, TBA), The Thessaloniki Conspirators (2014, Ivan Vazov National Theatre), Hangmen (2018, Sofia Theatre), Attempt at Flying (2018, Ivan Vazov National Theatre), Cyrano de Bergerac (2021, TBA), Golemanov (2022, Ivan Vazov National Theatre), Mother Courage and Her Children (2024, Satirical Theatre), Hamlet (2025, TBA), and Cries from the Underground based on Notes from Underground (2026, Toplocentrala). He is also an author of films and music videos.
He is a recipient of the Askeer Award for Best Director (2021, Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Cry of an Angel) and for Best One-Person Show (2025, Rupert’s Birthday). He was awarded the IKAR for Best Director and Best Performance (2026, Berlin, Berlin).
This is not the first time Stoyan Radev has worked on a text by Eric-Emmanuel Schmitt. In 2019, he staged The Libertine at the Sofia Theatre.
Anelia Yaneva
Marinela Sivcheva, Reneta Ikonomova
Yanina Petrova
Premiere: April 29 and 30, 2026
