BACCHAE

BACCHAE

by Euripides
With the special participation of The Tiger Lillies
Conceived and Directed by Javor Gardev

(Co-production between the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, Athens Epidaurus Festival, Vegas Cultural Co., and the National Theatre of Northern Greece)

Translated from Ancient Greek into English:

Robin Robertson

Translated from Ancient Greek into Bulgarian (Surtitles):

Doroteya Tabakova

Translated from Ancient Greek into Modern Greek (Surtitles):

Theodoros Stefanopoulos

Stage Adaptation:

Ioanna Remediaki and Javor Gardev

Music and Rhapsodic Lyrics:

Martyn Jacques (Copyright and publishing Misery Guts Music Ltd., 2026)

Set Design:

Nikola Toromanov

Costume Design:

Maria Ilenia Douladiri

Choreography:

Uršula Teržan

Choral Vocal Arrangement:

Kalin Nikolov

Lighting Design:

Stella Kaltsou

Dramaturgy:

Ioanna Remediaki and Pavlina Doublekova

English Speech Coaching:

Nathan Cooper and Mark Modzelewski

Make-up Design:

Olga Faleichyk

Hair Design:

Thomas Galazoulas

Consultant to the Director:

Valleri Robinson

Production and Stage Manager:

Bogdan Dimitrov

Sound:

Titos Kargiotakis, Orestis Patsinakidis 

Cast:

Rhapsodes (The Tiger Lillies)
Mesaios – Martyn Jacques
Aetherios – Adrian Stout
Chthonios – Budi Butenop

Chorus of Bacchae – Alexandra Gaithatzi, Alexandra Svilenova, Angeliki Kintoni, Danae Stamatopoulou, Eleni Thimiopoulou, Efthymia Daniilidou, Kremena Slavcheva, Nadya Keranova, Nefeli Anthopoulou, Polyxeni Spiropoulou, Xenia Grammatikou, Zoe Efthymiou

Dionysus – Leonid Yovchev
Cadmus – Alexandros Milonas
Tiresias – Samuel Finzi
Agave – Loukia Michalopoulou
Pentheus – Michail Tabakakis
Servant – Ivan Nikolov
First Messenger – Ivan Yurukov
Second Messenger – Martin Dimitrov

Bacchae is one of Euripides’ last surviving tragedies. At its core lies the myth of Dionysus, the son of Zeus and Semele, one of the daughters of Cadmus, the founder of Thebes. Driven by jealousy, the goddess Hera tricks Semele into persuading Zeus to reveal himself to her in his divine form, and she is killed by his thunderbolts. Zeus, however, saves the unborn Dionysus.

Bacchae tells the story of the young god’s return to his native Thebes, after having already established his cult beyond the boundaries of the Greek world. Upon his arrival, Pentheus—the ruler of Thebes, who inherited power over the city from his grandfather Cadmus—proves incapable of heeding the warnings of the seer Tiresias. He forbids the worship of Dionysus and denies his divine origin, but such arrogant pride cannot go unpunished.

It is precisely this fundamental clash between the established order of the polis—the structured and rational Apollonian principle—and the infinitely seductive chaos of Dionysus, which puts every familiar structure and the very foundations of civilization to the test, that lies at the heart of Javor Gardev’s production.

“Bacchae is the tragedy that goes further than any other in its exploration of irrational impulses and madness – so far, in fact, that it proves dangerous and risky even for the spectators, who are called upon to confront their deepest and most powerful fears.

The atavistic dread of civilisation’s collapse does not reside solely in the dramatis personae; it nests within the collective unconscious, where communities forge myths to shield themselves. From this premise, an unsettling parallel emerges with the experience of Balkan nationalisms, in which bigotry – a politicised fear of the Other – transforms difference into a threat, something to be repelled, contained, or forcibly assimilated.

Therefore, the tragedy is founded upon the delusion and folly of believing that whatever cannot be contained within language and law may simply be banished. Yet, when humanity denies its murky kinship with the irrational, it does not eradicate it; it drives it into cavernous depths, from which it almost always returns, more feral than before.” - shared the director Javor Gardev. 

Bacchae is a large-scale Bulgarian-Greek co-production between the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, the Athens Epidaurus Festival, and the National Theatre of Northern Greece in Thessaloniki. The production also features a special live appearance by the British musical trio The Tiger Lillies, comprising Martyn Jacques, Adrian Stout, and Budi Butenop. The world-renowned musicians take on the role of sinister rhapsodes, performing eleven original songs written by Martyn Jacques especially for the production.

The world premiere of Bacchae took place on 10 and 11 July 2026 at the Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus as part of the Athens Epidaurus Festival, one of the world’s most influential performing arts festivals. The production is currently on a summer tour and will be presented at more than fifteen ancient theatres across Greece and Cyprus. The Bulgarian premiere of Bacchae will take place on 30 September 2026 at the Ancient Theatre of Plovdiv, followed by a performance on 9 October at Hall 1 of the National Palace of Culture in Sofia.

Javor Gardev (b.1972 in Sofia) is a multidisciplinary artist and scholar working across theatre, film, and philosophy. He graduated from the National Lyceum for Ancient Languages and Cultures “St. Constantine-Cyril the Philosopher” (1991). He holds an MA in Philosophy from Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski (1997), an MA in Directing from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts “Krastyo Sarafov” (NATFA) in the experimental directing class of Prof. Ivan Dobchev (1998), and a PhD from New Bulgarian University (2024) with an interdisciplinary dissertation in the fields of philosophy of language, social sciences, and theatre studies. He has also specialized and received additional qualifications from numerous cultural institutions and organizations in Germany, France, the United Kingdom, and the United States. 

At the Ivan Vazov National Theatre, Javor Gardev made his debut in 2000 with the production Verona by Alexei Shipenko. In 2006, he staged the large-scale production of King Lear by William Shakespeare on the Main Stage. In 2009, he directed The Goat, or Who Is Sylvia? by Edward Albee, who personally attended the premiere and endorsed the production. In 2011, Gardev staged A Behanding in Spokane by Martin McDonagh, followed in 2012 by The Moth by Pyotr Gladilin and Hamlet with a remarkable cast and a large-scale spatial concept. In 2014, on the Chamber Stage of the National Theatre, he directed Joan by Yaroslava Pulinovich, and in 2018 – The Observers (A Hypothesis About Hereafter) by Konstantin Iliev.

Javor Gardev joined the directors’ collegium of the National Theatre in 2022, when he staged Easter Wine by Konstantin Iliev. In 2024 came the premiere of his third major Shakespearean project on the Main Stage – The Merchant of Venice by Shakespeare.

As a director, Javor Gardev has created more than fifty theatre productions, some of them international co-productions with theatres and festivals in France, Germany, and the Netherlands. He has staged theatre productions in Greece, Turkey, North Macedonia, Russia, and Montenegro. He is also the director of radio theatre projects and the author of conceptual performances.  

Javor Gardev has received numerous theatre awards, including eight ASKEER Awards and eight IKAR Awards. He is also the recipient of the awards “Bulgarian Ambassador of Culture,” “Golden Age,” “Golden Kukerikon,” “Golden Harlequin,” “Golden Mask,” “Golden Feather,” and the “Theatre Personality of the Year” award from the Society of Independent Theatre Critics, among others.

The Tiger Lillies are a British trio formed in 1989 by Martyn Jacques. Known for their distinctive “death oompah” style—a blend of dark cabaret, punk, chanson, and operatic elements—their music explores macabre and melancholic themes through Jacques’ unique falsetto and accordion. Their theatrical performances are renowned worldwide for their intensity, dark humor, and unexpected beauty.

They rose to international prominence with Shockheaded Peter, winning two Olivier Awards. In 2003, they received a Grammy nomination for The Gorey End, created with the Kronos Quartet. Recent years have seen continued critical success. In 2025, they collaborated with La Perla 29 on The Tiger Lillies in a Macbeth Song, directed by Oriol Broggi, earning the Critics’ Award for Best Original Music at the Catalan Critics Awards. The same year, they released the acclaimed album Serenade from the Sewer, now touring internationally. 

With nearly 50  albums, The Tiger Lillies have built a prolific, uncompromising body of work spanning music, theatre, film, and visual arts. Their projects include reinterpretations of The Little Matchgirl, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and Hamlet, as well as collaborations with the Norrlandsoperan Symphony Orchestra and artist Nan Goldin. In 2024, they created the soundtrack for Modi: Three Days on Wings of Madness, directed by Johnny Depp.

Bacchae, a new album by The Tiger Lillies inspired by Euripides’s timeless tragedy, will be released in July 2026.

Assistant Director and Surtitles Operator:

Lyuba Todorova

Assistant Set Designer:

Tsetska Ivaylova

Assistant Set Designer (Props):

Svetoslav Mitov

Assistant Set Designer (Technical Modeling):

Teodor Kiryakov

Assistant Costume Designer:

Nikol Mechkarska

Second Assistant Director:

Elena Kostova, Kristina Zaharieva

Costumes Tailors:

Emilian Bonev, Olga Salonikidou, Olya Rashkova, Reneta Koleva, Rumiana Todorova, Zoe Vlahou, Zoe Chrysochoou

Wigs:

Irina Tsapreva

Belt With Chains:

Douladiri's Leather Workshop

Assistant Light Designer (In Internship):

Katerina Voutsa 

Lighting Technician:

Aristotelis Armando Mema

Technical crew of Ivan Vazvov National Theatre for the tour

Deputy Director Stage Spaces:

Stoyanka Dimitrova

Stage Masters:

Aleksandar Kostov, Georgi Hristov, Marin Kechidzhiev

Light Board Operators:

Anton  Georgiev, Mariana Hlebnikova

Light Technicians:

Metodi Naydenov, Pavel Rezin

Sound Technicians:

Buden Stoyanov, Grigorii Skrupskii

Props Master:

Dimitar Krasinski

Dresser:

Aleksandra Tsvetkova

Makeup Artists:

Bilyana Sabeva, Ivanka Gorshinina, Rozalina Peycheva 

Stage Hands:

Atanas Atanasov, Daniel Burovski, Dimitar Boychev, Viktor Sredovski, Ivaylo Dzambos 

Photographers:

Elina Giounanli, Stefan Zdraveski, Petko Mavrodiev

Graphic Design:

Teodora Simova, Black Goats 

Premiere in Greece: 10 & 11 July 2026, Ancient Theatre of Epidaurus 

Premiere in Bulgaria: 30 September 2026, Ancient Theatre of Plovdiv & 9 October 2026, National Palace of Culture