The Bacchae

“The Bacchae” by Euripides

A co-production of the Ivan Vazov National Theatre and the State Theatre of Northern Greece
Concept and direction: Yavor Gardev

With the special participation of The Tiger Lillies

Following its world premiere before thousands of spectators at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus and a tour of the ancient stages of Greece and Cyprus, “The Bacchae” – the large-scale international production of the Ivan Vazov National Theatre and the State Theatre of Northern Greece – arrives in Bulgaria.

At the center of the tragedy is Dionysus’s return to his native Thebes – a city that refuses to acknowledge him as a god. The young ruler Pentheus bans the new cult and decides to confront the unknown force that possesses the city’s women and leads them into the mountains. But the more insistently he tries to restore order, the deeper he falls into the trap devised by Dionysus.

Under Yavor Gardev’s direction, one of Euripides’ latest surviving tragedies becomes a spectacular stage narrative about humanity’s and the community’s attempt to subjugate what they do not understand and cannot control. The performance asks what happens when a community declares difference to be a threat and believes it can drive away everything it does not understand and cannot control.

The world-famous British trio The Tiger Lillies perform live as contemporary rhapsodes and perform eleven original songs created by Martin Jacques especially for the production.

Leonid Yovchev plays Dionysus, while Samuel Finzi portrays the prophet Tiresias. The Bulgarian cast also includes Ivan Yurukov, Martin Dimitrov, Alexandra Svilenova, Kremena Slavcheva, Nadya Keranova and Ivan Nikolov, actors from the Ivan Vazov National Theatre company.

The leading Greek roles are performed by Alexandros Milonas as Cadmus, Lukia Michalopoulou as Agave and Michail Tabakakis as Pentheus. The chorus of Bacchae includes Alexandra Gaidatsi, Angeliki Kintoni, Danai Stamatopoulou, Eleni Timiopoulou, Efthimia Daniilidou, Zoi Efthimiou, Ksenia Gramatikou, Nefeli Antoniopoulou and Polyxeni Spiropoulou.

The performance was created as a co-production of the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, the Athens–Epidaurus Festival, Vegas Cultural Co. and the State Theatre of Northern Greece, bringing together artists from Bulgaria, Greece and the United Kingdom.

“The Bacchae” is performed in English with Bulgarian and English subtitles.

What Makes This Interpretation Special
This production brings together three theatrical traditions – Bulgarian, Greek and British – in a rare format for the ancient amphitheater and for contemporary stages in Bulgaria. The premiere took place on July 10 and 11, 2026, at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus, after which the production goes on tour and arrives in Bulgaria, performed in English with bilingual subtitles for the audience. The running time is approximately 120 minutes, without excess – with a clear pace and dramatic tension from the first scene to the last.

The Musical Core
The Tiger Lillies – Martin Jacques, Adrian Stout and Budi Butenop – appear on stage. They are not “accompaniment” but active characters: dark troubadours who use accordion, double bass, musical saw and percussion to comment on and intensify the action. Their live music sets the rhythm of the chorus and of the clash between impulse and order, while the distinctive aesthetic of “dark cabaret” enters into a productive dialogue with classical tragedy.

Team and Stage Design

• Set design: Nikola Toromanov – a minimalist, sculptural environment that allows the chorus to “breathe” as a single organism.
• Costumes: Ilenia Duladeri – contrasting silhouettes and textures that mark the transition from Apollonian order to Dionysian ecstasy.
• Choreography: Ursula Terzhan – physical scores built on the pulse of the music and the rhythm of speech.
• Lighting: Stella Kaltzu – a rigorous light design that transforms the space from a palace into a mountain and back again.
• Translation from Ancient Greek: Dorothea Tabakova – language that preserves the archaic quality while remaining fully communicative for today’s audience.
• Dramaturgical work: Ioanna Remediaki and Pavlina Dublekova – emphasizing the political and psychological mechanisms of denial.

The Acting Focus
Dionysus is entrusted to Leonid Yovchev – a cold and devious divinity confronted by Michail Tabakakis’s Pentheus. Samuel Finzi brings intellectual wit to Tiresias, while Lukia Michalopoulou builds Agave with painful clarity. Alexandros Milonas is Cadmus – the city’s memory; the messenger-narrators are Ivan Yurukov and Martin Dimitrov, with Ivan Nikolov among the servants of power. The chorus of Bulgarian and Greek actresses is the engine that carries the action from the city to the “mountain” – and back toward catastrophe.

Why This Text Works Today
“The Bacchae” was written at the end of Euripides’ life and performed posthumously in 405 BCE, when it won first prize at the Dionysia. Today, the play resonates as an exploration of the limits of collective control: how society responds to the unknown and how quickly fear of the “other” turns into ideology. The production insists that denial does not destroy the irrational – it drives it underground, from where it returns more powerfully.

If you are interested in how the contemporary stage engages with themes of intimacy and guilt on an intimate scale, also explore I, Who Love You. For a lighter genre counterpoint, see the stand-up performance And This Too Shall Pass - Stand Up Comedy Special.