NEW BULGARIAN UNIVERSITY / UNIVERSITY THEATER

"Customs" is a work in progress that has existed for more than 20 years. Its original version was created over the course of two years (1989–1991) after extensive research by director Vazkresia Viharova, architect Zarko Uzunov and three actors. The show is based on two books by the Bulgarian sociologist Ivan Hadjiyski: “Customs and Mentality of the Bulgarian People” and “An Optimistic Theory of the Bulgarian People”. It was later incorporated as a research and training unit in the curriculum of the Theater Department of the New Bulgarian University. The cast has changed over the years, with each group bringing in fresh perspective and research on the show’s themes. At its most basic, “Customs” is a structural transformation of authentic Bulgarian folk dances, rituals and attitudes.

The performance has been shown at some of the most prestigious theater festivals in Europe: the International Festival of Theater Schools in Amsterdam, the International Theater Fringe Festival in Edinburgh, the International Theater Festival in Erfurt, the International Student Theater Festival in Potsdam, the INFANT Festival in Novi Sad, the 8th International Festival of Theater Schools in Brno; at the Centre for the Study of Jerzy Grotowski’s Work and for Theatrical and Cultural Research, and elsewhere. Its latest version was put together in 2011 and was shown in the fringe program of the Varna Summer International Theater Festival 2012.