But why is the opening of a new theatre in Bulgaria so significant? Important enough for any given name in Bulgaria’s scenic world to give up a Monday night and trudge down to some random old communist-era building and stand around drinking wine or vodka (again), acting blase about everything (again) while being shot by the press (again)?

It’s modern. And Modern (the theatre that is). The first privately funded theatre in Sofia, and the first new theatre in the country in who knows how long. (Though to say that no one knows how long is a cop-out; I’m sure it would be easy enough to find out. Maybe.) There are currently nine nationally funded, and ultimately directed, theatres in Sofia, each with its own troupe of actors; as of the night of December 10, these nine have had a new sibling join them – the bastard younger brother, who later turns out to be the genius of the clan, who, though in doing so, also appropriated half of his older brothers’ significant others, or incited them to search out greener pastures. Genius, or just risk-taker? It’s not easy to start something new, to go where no (wo)man has gone before.

But under the guidance of artistic director Ivailo Hristov, and with the financial support (3.5 million leva) and realisation that is coming from Greek businessman Dimitrios Arvanitis, (who speaks Bulgarian fluently) and the troupe of Boika Velkova, Irini Zhambonas, Stefaniya Koleva, Iskra Angelova, Kristina Yaneva, Margita Gosheva, Anastasiya Lyutova, Kassiel Noa Asher, Elen Koleva, Ivan Burnev, Valeri Yordanov, Ivan Radoev, Plamen Sirakov, Todor Bliznakov, Stefan Spassov, Filip Avramov and Penko Gospodinov who make up the central cast of Modern Theatre (Модерен театър), Sofia’s theatrical family has seen a new birth.

There were actors (stage, screen, there’s no real delineation of such in Bulgaria) at the tile-laying ceremony (though we did not see any roofing being put in place, just a wall of styrofoam blocks being knocked down to reveal a panel with The Name: Modern Theatre, followed by the drinking (from the bottle) of Iskra “champagne”), there were politicians and businesspersons and journalists and random other folk. Georgi Lozanov was there, and talked about something related to his childhood in Pravets; Stefan Danailov was there and talked about a theatrical renaissance and respecting the Bulgarian Broadway – ministers of culture must be fair, after all; Keith Thompson was there, but he just sang. Sasho Donchev talked about how his company Overgas was happy about the theatre. Michael Humphreys represented Bulgaria’s European Commission delegation and Geoffrey Keating the Irish embassy, but they did not say anything into the microphone.

Arvantitis did, however: “We’re dreaming of a European theatre on every level – one that is comfortable for everyone and for the audience.” He also said (but later, to The Sofia Echo) that by comfortable, he really did mean comfortable – meaning that theatre-goers will not leave the hall with stiff backs and covered in sweat (due to stuffy, torrid conditions inside, not due to passion-inducing theatre plays). And why did he choose to invest in theatre, and not ballet or concerts? Because he is “connected emotionally to theatre”, though this does not mean that he ever dreamt himself of becoming an actor. (I asked him and he chuckled.) It’s also a good business move, he said.

It will be a true international arts centre. Hristov said so, and Arvanitis echoed it elsewhere. In the old House of Bulgarian-Union (USSR-type union, not European) Friendship at 10 Vurbitsa Street, there will be a large and a small stage, a foyer suitable for art exhibitions and seating for about 416 (large stage) + 200 (small stage).

Hristov hopes for it to be a place where culture is made, developed and shared.

Come late winter 2008, the first productions will be (small-)staged for the public; shows on the large stage take more preparation time, more thought, and more money. “We have time,” Hristov said.

Kama Ginkas from Russia and Slobodan Unkovski from Macedonia have already been scheduled to direct productions.

“People are ready for this,” he also said; “there is no way that it can end up being (purely) commercial.”

The inside of the theatre hall is, on its lower half, currently stripped down to the bricks. A map of the former Soviet Union still hangs on a wall. The building was originally designed by Dimitur Tsolov, the man who placed the Party House, TZUM and the Sheraton (former Balkan) Hotel buildings on the map of Sofia. Architect Tanya Glebova has designed the blueprints for the new interior, with consulting from Michel Cova. The House of Bulgarian-Union Friendship is getting an bowels-cleansing, and a new soul.

And then Keith Thompson started to jive again, drinks started to flow again and culture lived on in Bulgaria.