Today at 17:30 local time, a protest against the premiere of the play "The Weapon and the Man" by Bernard Shaw will be held in front of the "Ivan Vazov" National Theater in Sofia.

It is a play by John Malkovich and it will be performed today at 19:00, inform the organizers of the protest, Bulgarian associations and patriotic organizations.

"With this event, we want to express our categorical disagreement with the premiere of a play that distorts our history, insults the dignity and memory of our national heroes. The premiere was performed on November 7 - the anniversary of the battles at Slivnica, which Ivan Vazov, the patron of the National Theater, immortalized in the poem "New cemetery above Slivnica", which date we accept as significant for our history and do not accept as the date of the premiere on this play. The next date is November 8 – the day of the occupation of the western provinces – still a living wound for the Bulgarian people. The play is also performed on November 27 – the anniversary of the signing of the Nejska Peace Treaty. These dates are deeply symbolic of the Bulgarian spirit and honor, and we consider their choice to stage this play as a direct provocation and insult to our national memory," remind the organizers of the protest.

Shaw's play, created in 1894, portrays the Bulgarian soldiers as cowardly and unworthy, and the Bulgarians as impure and wild. This performance contradicts the mission of the National Theater - to serve Bulgarian culture and historical heritage.

"It is unacceptable that the Bulgarian taxpayer is forced to finance a play that humiliates and distorts the Bulgarian historical achievements," emphasize the organizers of the protest against the play.

In the past, Shaw's play was the subject of sharp resentment among the Bulgarian public. In 1921, Bulgarian students in Berlin and Vienna booed Shaw with the words: "Shame!

"We invite everyone who respects Bulgarian history and culture to join our event, which will be held peacefully and respectfully to the memory of Bulgarian heroes, Bulgarian and Serbian martyrs."

We demand that the production depart from the repertoire of the National Theater and that the director responsible for setting and choosing the specific provocative dates take personal responsibility, as well as a public apology from Vasil Vasilev and John Malkovich, thus taking responsibility, say the organizers of the protest.

Malkovich's take on Shaw's cult drama

On October 29, at a press conference in front of Bulgarian journalists, Malkovich spoke about the choice of the title and responded to criticism that this text by Bernard Shaw mocks Bulgaria.

"I would not come here to play a play to make fun of Bulgaria. This is not a good idea. I would like to put on a good show," said the actor and director.

Malkovich said that the last time he was asked to censor the text, he simply refused to perform.

When asked how he would comment on the position of the Union of Bulgarian Writers that "the place of such 'works' is not in Bulgaria", Malkovich asked if the Union excluded the writer Georgi Markov.

"I do not support censorship of writers. And the writers shouldn't support her," said John Malkovich.

He recalled first performing the play The Gun and the Man in 1985 and described the text as funny and touching.

"I like the play because it satirizes idealized love. There are strong statements about the senselessness of war. That is why I am interested in this text. The action takes place in Bulgaria - the author was looking for a country that few people know about," added John Malkovich.

According to him, the characters are quite expressive, intelligent and comical, and the action in the play simply takes place in Bulgaria.

"I'm here because I was incredibly lucky to work with some wonderful actors who grew up in Bulgaria and studied at your academy," commented John Malkovich.

The play "The Arms and the Man" by the world-famous Irish playwright Bernard Shaw was first staged in 1894 at the Avenue Theater in London.

This is one of the Nobel Laureate's most frequently staged comedies. Through the language of comedy, the text aims to mock public sentiments that glorify war, showing their internal contradictions and excessive romanticization.

Initially, the characters as well as the environment in the play are conditional, but in search of a realistic sound, Bernard Shaw, advised by friends, decided to put the described relationships and events in the context of the recently ended Serbian-Bulgarian war in the Balkans.

Thus, after the end of the battle of Slivnitsa in 1885, the home of officer Petkov in the town of Dragoman in Bulgaria became the scene of the action.

What John Malkovich deals with in this text is a critique of the romantic idea of ​​war and the clash between love as a romantic ideal and reality.

The plot is based on the Battle of Slivnica during the Serbo-Bulgarian War in 1885. Shaw describes the Bulgarians in a not particularly flattering way – people who bathe once in a lifetime and don't read, which caused a lot of negative reactions in Bulgaria.