Theatre Festivals in the Final Months of 2025

2025 was a year full of surprises. Some of them were unpleasant, yet the final four months seemed to compensate for everything that came before. After the Sarajevo Theatre Showcase, I began rehearsals in Moldova — an experience I will remember for a long time. Alongside this, I took part in theatre festivals in four different countries, each offering encounters that continue to inspire and broaden perspective.

In recent years, professional development in Bulgaria has not been easy. In my case, the conflict between Bulgaria and North Macedonia may also play a role — a topic I will return to soon. One thing, however, remains certain: the world is big, and there is space for everyone. With that in mind, I would like to share several impressions from the festivals that marked the final months of the year.

Summer Cult Fest, PrisHtina (Kosovo)

A brief but meaningful stop on this festival journey was Summer Cult Fest in Pristina, Kosovo. SPAM Studios participated with The Little Dog Laughed, a performance that resonated strongly with the audience and was awarded Best Actor to Sevar Ivanov. Despite multiple previous visits to Kosovo, this festival had not been on the radar until now, yet it proved to be particularly valuable in terms of artistic exchange.

What stood out here was the intimate scale of the encounter. Following the performance, an open conversation unfolded between the audience, the dramaturg, and the artistic team. Rather than formal critique, the discussion focused on shared perspectives, personal responses, and the broader social layers of the work. This kind of exchange reaffirmed the role of festivals as spaces where dialogue happens through proximity and mutual attentiveness, rather than through institutional frameworks.

SoloFest 2025, DIYARBAKIR (Turkey)

The 6th edition of SoloFest, organized by Mordem Sanat, brought together performances from Turkey, the Netherlands, Italy, Iran, Abu Dhabi, Istanbul, Berlin, Kosovo, Hatay, Batman — and, for the first time, Bulgaria, with The Little Dog Laughed. The festival presented a rich programme of contemporary solo performances, reflecting diverse artistic contexts and cultural backgrounds.

This year’s theme, On the Brink of Disappearing, addressed the preservation of cultural heritage through contemporary reinterpretation. Held from 17 to 26 October 2025, SoloFest distinguished itself through the intensity of its audience engagement. Discussions following each performance were not merely complementary, but central to the festival’s structure. The audience demonstrated a high level of critical awareness, posing precise questions and entering into direct dialogue with the artists.

Our performance received particularly thoughtful feedback concerning the characters, the narrative structure, and the thematic layers. Notably, the festival’s decision to work without subtitles emphasized the immediacy of theatrical communication and highlighted the strong connection between performers and audience — a reminder that theatre can transcend linguistic barriers when it speaks to shared emotional and social realities.

Beyond performances, SoloFest included workshops, panel discussions, and intercultural meetings, reinforcing the festival’s openness beyond national borders and its commitment to sustained artistic exchange.

FITS – Andrei Vartic International Festival for Contemporary Theatre, Chișinău (MOLDOVA)

The first edition of FITS – Andrei Vartic International Festival for Contemporary Theatre took place from 19 to 23 November 2025 at Teatrul Alexei Mateevici, transforming Chișinău into a dynamic space for contemporary and interdisciplinary theatre. The festival was marked by a clear, contemporary theatrical language and a strong focus on socially relevant themes.

International participation included productions from Poland and Romania, while the host theatre presented four premieres, among them Such Things Are Not Said by Maria Ivanov, created with the team of SPAM Studios. These productions made a clear statement about the theatre’s new artistic direction and its ambition to position itself within an international contemporary context.

Alongside poetry readings, Irina Gurin’s visual art exhibition, and the music evenings, the most significant aspect of the festival proved to be the discussions addressing broader structural questions — such as the absence of theatre criticism in Moldova and the development of local dramaturgy. These conversations revealed that the need for critical discourse is not a local issue, but a shared concern across different cultural landscapes. In this sense, FITS functioned not only as a presentation platform, but also as a space for collective reflection on the conditions under which theatre is created and received today.

International Theatre Festival MOT, Skopje (MACEDONIA)

The International Theatre Festival MOT in Skopje remains one of the most significant theatre platforms in the region, with a long-standing role in legitimizing independent and alternative theatre practices. This year’s focus on artists from North Macedonia working abroad — often framed as “our artists around the world” — foregrounded questions of mobility, belonging, and artistic identity.

SPAM Studios participated with The Little Dog Laughed. Unlike other festivals, MOT did not emphasize formal post-performance discussions. Instead, feedback emerged through informal conversations and personal encounters after the shows. This absence of structured dialogue cannot be separated from the broader context: the Youth Cultural Center (MKC), a space that has shaped generations of artists, has been politically occupied and institutionally destabilized in recent years.

Against this backdrop, the festival’s ability to sustain a coherent and meaningful programme speaks to its resilience. MOT continues to function as a crucial meeting point for alternative voices and contemporary theatrical languages, reaffirming the importance of such platforms even — or especially — under difficult political and economic conditions.

Across these different contexts, a shared need became increasingly visible — the need for dialogue, listening, and openness. Through this, we grow, change, and become better. Silence helps no one, and the openness I have begun to observe feels like a hopeful sign, particularly when contrasted with environments where such dialogue remains fragile or insufficiently nurtured, as is often the case in Bulgaria. Theatre, in this sense, continues to function not only as an artistic form, but as a space for encounter, reflection, and responsibility.

With this thought, I see off the old year with a simple wish: that we open up, step out of our shells, and truly see the person in front of us — who knows, that person might turn out to be cool and pleasant.