Through the first of its kind platform in Bulgaria, named Digital Theatre, the Bulgarian communities abroad and the fans of theatre, dance and music can now enjoy Bulgarian stage art from the comfort of their home. The service kicked off end-October and gathered viewers from 11 countries within a few days only.

Digital Theatre will provide access to plays and their TV versions, along with famous classical plays, shot in the leading Bulgarian theatres and which are no longer performed.

The fans of stage art will be able to watch the latest shows, shot in real time. Initiator of the project Lachezar Dumanov says the platform is currently gaining momentum and will offer a growing number of newer and more interesting things:

“We are currently negotiating with the National Palace of Culture and perhaps soon we might be able to offer concrete shows there. We are constantly meeting producers, organizers of cultural events of any kind, so it is just a matter of time the platform to start offering anything from stage art. It is a totally new case at the moment for some producers and institutions that we meet, even regarding the streaming and the copyright linked. Those have been recently defined with our Copyright Act.”

Are there any other options envisaged for the payment of the online ticket, besides the now existing ones?

“We are constantly thinking of how to expand the options, in order for the service to become more accessible and people to be able to buy tickets more easily. Unfortunately some of the payment methods envisage up to 50 percent of the money to go straight to the companies and operators that provide the service. The larger part of the revenues from the ticket’s price goes for copyright and producing rights’ payment. Very little money remains for the support of distribution.”

Only large Sofia theatres join the initiative, or theaters from other cities and towns will participate as well?

“We have reached out to all stage arts from across the country – from state theatres to the ACT Association. Unfortunately, state theatres are a bit slower in decision making, unlike artists on the free market. We are a distributer for the moment, but we can turn to our own production later on.”

Dubbing of the plays is not envisaged for the moment, since the project is envisaged to distribute this country’s culture among the Bulgarian communities worldwide. However, the team is ready to consider any interest of foreigners, if shown.

English version: Zhivko Stanchev