Alexander Morfov >> works >> theatre productions >> Antigone | I. Radoev Drama and Puppet Theatre
Antigone
I. Radoev Drama and Puppet Theatre, Pleven, Bulgaria
premiere 16 September 2022
After
Theatre improvisation with
ideas and fragments by
Translator
Stage director
Assistants
Set design
Costumes, set design assistant
Choreographer
Sound designer
Poster design
Cast:
Jean Anouilh
Sophocles, Roy Chen
and Alexander Morfov
Hristo Mitskov, Alexander Morfov
Alexander Morfov
Denis Simeonov, Reni Vrangova
Semyon Pastuh, Tita Dimova - Vantek
Gabriela Dukova
Andrea Gavriliu
Dushanka Belada (Montenegro)
Nikolay Dimitrov - NAD
Antigone Milena Ermenkova
Creon Deyan Donkov
Ismene Nadya Keranova
Hemon Alexander Kanev
Jocasta Nina Denkova - Goranovski /
Iva Nikolova
Eurydice Iva Nikolova /
Nina Denkova - Goranovski
First Secretary of Creon Adrian Filipov /
Mihail Mihaylov
Polynices Asen Dankov
Eteocles Vasil Vitanov
Oedipus Sergey Konstantinov
Oracle at Delphi Joana Kircheva
Chorus and Orchestra
Leader Ovanes Torosyan
Secretary's Assistant Ivan Alexader - Doychev
Guards: Antony Penev, Vasil Vitanov, Valentin Vasilev
Musicians: Borislav Kovachev, Alexander Kolev
Girls in Creon's Palace: Borisa Sarafova, Diana Handzhieva, Elitsa Aneva, Joana Kircheva, Margarita Kostova, Maria Yordanova, Mariana Petrova
Chorus of Citizens of Thebes: Adrian Filipov, Mihail Mihaylov, Vasil Vitanov, Antony Penev, Valentin Vasilev, Diana Handzhieva, Elitsa Aneva, Ivan-Alexander Doychev, Joana Kircheva, Margarita Kostova, Maria Yordanova, Mariana Petrova, Marian Stefanov, Borisa Sarafova, Sergey Konstantinov, Tsvetelina Ilieva, Joanna Torosyan
Jean Anouilh’s “Antigone” is coming back into European repertory in Bulgaria. After seven years of working abroad, Alexander Morfov’s premiere is a pivotal event for the Drama and Puppet Theatre in Pleven. Morfov stages a vivid and rich production, composing the cast into a single body and revealing mechanisms of tragedy that we know today and that we have known since Antiquity.
The protagonist Antigone overpowers with stamina and spirit, with intrinsic morals as a tuning fork. She is as she is and nothing can divert her from her faith. The dead ought to be buried, the friends ought to be valued, the wisdom brought to us by the centuries ought to be respected. The action takes place amidst a huge library and Antigone is the only one allowed to rise on top of it because she, as a poetic figure, knows the powerful force of words and is capable of taking action in moments of political and social challenges.
This archetypal plot is built by the director and his talented team as a sharp modern production in which old mythology is presented in a manner that calls out for tragedy and tension. Humanity is unable to learn in the course of history, it loses its paths in the labyrinth of its own misconceptions, hitting walls of endless cruelty and destroying its best examples without mercy. Creon is a tyrant having fun who would readily cross all boundaries to preserve his power. Who is guilty and who is innocent doesn’t matter to him, he is not interested in moral dilemmas. He is devoted to the power game, playing it and winning it. Sounds familiar, right?
AWARDS:
Askeer Annual Theatre Award 2023 - Alexander Morfov, Stage Director of the Year
Askeer Annual Theatre Award 2023 - Antigone, Best Production
NOMINATIONS:
Icarus Annual Theatre Award 2023 - Antigone, Excellence in technical realisation
Askeer Annual Theatre Award 2023 - Alexander Morfov, Stage Director of the Year
Askeer Annual Theatre Award 2023 - Antigone, Best Production
Askeer Annual Theatre Award 2023 - Nadya Keranova, Supporting Female Role
REVIEWS:
"Morfov mixes a nearly three-hour cocktail of provocation for the mind, heart, soul, and senses, that does not let the audience get bored, distracted, or tired. Quite the opposite – the wonderful acting of the cast makes you wish to dive once again, and again, and again, into this experience, called “Antigone”, because Morfov’s theatre knows no limits. He longs for freedom as an ultimate human value, gifted by God. He cannot remain silent, reconcile, or look away from social anomalies; he cannot kneel or be distracted and consumer-convenient. He is always shouting and challenging us: to be real, honest and level up as God intended for us. Practicing being good, practicing love and everything human there is in men. Rising a bit closer to the Skies, avoiding petty gossip, lust and amorality."
Daniela Docheva, spiritofpleven.com, 17.06.2022
"Through the voice of the ancient chorus, or more precisely, its conductor, performed by Ovanes Torosyan, it promises to begin as a tragedy and end as a tragedy. The viewer’s impression is a bit different, though – it begins as a comedy and ends as a revelation, as a damnation for the end of the insatiable greed for power and the collapse of the dictator asking for help, and his waving hand that no one reaches for. The body of the play is intertwined with allusions to our current political environment…" Irina Gigova, Sega Newspaper, 12.11.2022
More:
"Antigone" by Morfov - a Fairy Tale for Grown-Up Children | Irina Gigova, Sega Newspaper, 12.11.2022
Viva Morfov, or Where Does the Road to Hell Pass| Gergana Dimitrova, ploshtadslaveikov.com, 24.12.2022
"Antigone", Jean Anouilh, Alexander Morfov, Milena Ermenkova, Deyan Donkov
and the Sofia Premiere at the "Ivan Vazov" National Theatre | Magdalena Nonova, lifestyle.bg, 08.11.2022
Alexander Morfov Presented in Pleven the Premiere of His Theatre Improvisation "Antigone" | impressio.dir.bg, 18.06.2022
"Antigone" by Alexander Morfov in Pleven: Jam Session, Tragedy,
Drama, Stand-Up Comedy, Cinema and Moral Dilemmas | Daniela Docheva, spiritofpleven.com, 17.06.2022
