Marin Yanev and Ivaylo Hristov received the two major "Askeer" awards this year at a ceremony at the "Bulgarian Army" Theater, BTA reported.
Yanev was awarded the honorary statuette, and his colleague and director Hristov - with the prize for overall contribution to theatrical art.
“To tell you what I feel right now, and it is great excitement, because I am being awarded, and I think I am being built up. I feel harnessed in your love and attention“, said Marin Yanev.
“When they called me to tell me that they would give me an award for overall creativity, I thought that some scoundrel was making a hidden camera, because I am just starting, and they are shouting at me that I am receiving it for my entire creativity. I will take “Askeer“, for which I thank you very much and I will not delay you any longer“, said Yvaylo Hristov.
“Bez krv“ (Drama Theater “N. O. Masalitinov“ – Plovdiv), received three statuettes – for the direction of Dian Dobreva, for the best performance and for the costume design of Rade Vassilev and Elena Vangelovska.
“I thank the “Askeer“ Foundation, I thank the Theater of the Bulgarian Army, which is a very important part of my journey in the theater. The play “Bez krv“ is a very special performance in my life, because of the topic it treats and the message it carries. in these difficult times we live in. Times in which there is so much aggression and hatred. The message is that our only salvation is only through mercy, forgiveness and love. Only through them can we have the chance to live in a world that is much more merciful and without blood“, said director Diana Dobreva.
Albena Pavlova – for Mother Courage in “Mother Courage and Her Children“ (Satirical Theater) and Jordan Russin – for Monsieur Boniface in “Murderous Comedy“ by Robin Howden (“Vazrazhdane Theater“) were honored for leading roles.
“They say it's never too late to have a happy childhood, I would say it's never too late to have “Askeer“. The actors and the children are very we are similar. In my opinion, at least in three ways. The first is that we and they are always busy, the second is that we always grow by playing and the third is that we don't need a very special occasion to feel joyful. Colleagues from the Bulgarian Army Theater, thank you for adding joy to my joy“, said Albena Pavlova.
“A huge thank you to Ventsi Asenov, who created the comedy, and to all colleagues with whom, through partnership on stage, we have the opportunity to create events on stage“, said Yordan Russin.
“The“Askeer“ for a one-man show is for “Rupert's Birthday“ by Ken Jenkins (director – Stoyan Radev, set design and costumes – Elitsa Georgieva, composer – Emilian Gatsov-Elby, with the participation of Angelina Slavova, Youth Theater).
The theater is a spontaneous sharing, and when a performance, sincere and dedicated, is distinguished with a nomination or award, it is a request for a direction of truth in the theater art, said Angelina Slavova: “On behalf of the entire team, I thank you for the taste and for the sensitive inner eye of my colleagues from the “Askeer“ academy. Stoyane, Stoyan Radev, thank you for the immense world and uplift that you are. You create such a high criterion for working with the actor that it is then difficult with any other director“.
The nomination committee in the category “Contemporary Bulgarian Dramaturgy“ with chair Prof. Kamelia Nikolova and members Anita Angelova, Prof. Vladimir Atanasov, Meglena Karalambova and Romeo Popiliev distinguished Zahari Karabashliev for “Lisbon“ (Youth theatre).
„I will be very brief. I heard that the patrons of this award and tradition are the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Defense. Culture is our defense against ignorance. Today we heard a lot of institutional words, very harsh words about culture. I want to remind you that it is, above all, a personal responsibility“, said Zahari Karabashliev.
Rostislav Georgiev was announced as a rising star – for his direction of „BIFEM“ by Lyudmila Petrushevskaya (Drama Theatre „Sava Ognyanov“ – Ruse and „Marriage“ by N. V. Gogol – Drama Theatre „Nikola Vaptsarov“ – Blagoevgrad).
First of all, I want to thank my teacher in the theater – Prof. Margarita Mladenova, to his family – for their support, to the directors of the two theaters – in Ruse and Blagoevgrad, Boyan Ivanov and Margarita Macheva, for the opportunity, I thank the actors from both theaters, and especially Yasena and Ivana, said Rostislav Georgiev.
For supporting roles among women, Petya Silyanova was awarded - for the role of the mother in “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof“ by Tennessee Williams (“Sofia Theater“), and among men - Leonid Yovchev for the role of Peter Stockman in “Public Enemy“ by Henrik Ibsen (Small City Theater “Beyond the Canal“). Among the set designers, the favorite is Nikola Toromanov for “The Merchant of Venice“ by William Shakespeare – National Theater “Ivan Vazov“, “The Elementary Particles“ -dramatization by Chris Sharkov, based on the novel of the same name by Michel Houellebecq – National Theater “Ivan Vazov“, and “Mother Courage and Her Children” by Bertolt Brecht – Satirical Theater „Aleko Konstantinov“. Kalin Nikolov – for „The Merchant of Venice“ at the National Theater and „A Streetcar Named Desire“ at the Youth Theater, took „Askeer“ for theater music.
The statuettes of Georgi Chapkanov were presented by the actors of the Army, dressed in costumes from the performances in the current repertoire of the troupe.
The ceremony was attended by the Minister of Culture Marian Bachev, the Minister of Defense Atanas Zapryanov, the Mayor of Sofia – Vasil Terziev.
The event took place for the 34th time on May 24 – The Day of Bulgarian Education and Culture and Slavic Writing, at the "Bulgarian Army" Theater. The awards are unique in our country, as they are given by artists – for artists, and each of them is a professional and aesthetic choice of people who make theater, the founders recall. The eleven categories include performances and their creators with a premiere between April 1, 2024 and March 31 this year.