THE OVERCOAT

supported by Ministry of culture of Bulgaria and Bulgaria Culture Center (Moscow)

For 200-anniversary of Nikolay Gogol

Bulgaria Year in Russia

<strong A story in an act, both funny and sad, with a fantastic beginning and an unexpecting ending about a ghost, a clerk and an overcoat. A story in which an overcoat-trap comes to life, trapping an entire human life. The life of an ordinary clerk who died at the loss of his overcoat and after his death started roaming the streets of Peterburg as a ghost. A ghost stripping the overcoats off the shoulders of everybody. A story about the freedom of the human spirit, refusing to be buttoned up into any overcoat.

• CREDO Theatre is a private theatre formation founded in 1992 in Sofia by actors Nina Dimitrova and Vassil Vassilev — Zuek, graduates of the National Academy of Theatre and Film Arts — NATFIZ .Relying on the creative imagination and taking as a basis the principles of clownade and improvisation, the company seeks an expressive theatre language allowing the recreation of the profoundness and richness of ideas and characters of the great classical work.Credo Theatre opened its first theatre season with the production of «THE OVERCOAT» after GOGOL which brought the company national and international acclaim. The performance has been presented at over 150 international festivals in Bulgaria and abroad — UK, USA, France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Russia, Ireland, Denmark, Spain, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Finland, Poland, Greece, Georgia, Lithuania, the Czech Republic, Slovenia , Ukraine, Portugal, Serbia, Bosnia, Croatia, Hungary, Romania, Belarus ,Iran, Korea, Japan .The production is recipient of 9 international Awards for Best performance and 4 Awards for outstanding acting.For its 2 participations at the EDINBUHGH FRINGE FESTIVAL (1996 and 1997) «THE OVERCOAT» was awarded the highest professional acclaim — 5 stars of the critics in «The Scotsman», and of the ,»The LIST» magazine, and was announced to be among the best theatre performances of the festival. It was listed in the «Top 20″ Best Art Events of the Festival for 1997 by ,,The LIST.In june 2000 with a big succes «The Overcoat» was presented in West End — London, in Barbican Centre during 2 weeks.»THE OVERCOAT» has so far been performed in 9 languages — Bulgarian, English, French, German, Spanish, Russian, Japanese, Greek, Serbian .For 15 ?th anniversary of the theatre, in 2008 , The Union of Bulgarian Artists awarded Credo Theatre with the best National Theatre Award ?IKAR? for its work for popularization of Bulgarian Theatre all over the world.

A performance of truly international standard… Credo’s version of «The Coat» makes new and moving sense out of Gogol’s dark fable about personal identity and freedom… This performance sums up the essence of Gogol — how the human can be presented within the absurd… What follows must be one of the most amazing theatrical events in this Festival. Hilariously funny, completely charming, heart-renderingly tragic, every aspect of this production has a superlative attached to it. And there are as many aspects as the human mind can visualise ?The Scotsman?

Witty and inventive, «The Coat» of Credo Theatre is a fine example of the imaginative power of theatre.?The Herald?

Nina Dimitrova and Vassil Vassilev — Zuek wear half masks with exaggerated black eyebrows and moustaches . thay are both immensely accomplished. But what exactly do they do? There is mime — a balalaika is transformed into a prancing ghost — but The Overcoat is not a mime. The dialogue tells us about the clerk `s revenge when his overcoat is stolen, but is does not add up to a play . They make clowns, but it is not a circus. Since it is all these things at once, it must be an unusually pure form of theatre. Whatever you call it, Credo `s Overcoat is well worth trying on. The Independent ?

Seeing their performance, one. realizes the new concept of theatre: it is clear one should go back to one’s roots, to a simpler style of theatre with much more intense emotions and passion… They make «magic» on stage — out of next to nothing at all. An incredible blend of genius which overcomes resourcefully the mishaps of lack of means and sets.?BBC — London?

A powerful stage presence, a total awareness of the space and an impressive performance of the two actors Nina Dimitrova, so much like Julieta Masina in «La Strada», can be just as full of suffering and tenderness, and personify the most amazing human emotions compassion, love for the others, self-sacrifice, strife for life. A great theatre art!» ?Nordbayerische Zeitung»GERMANY

The plastic language of the performance is a discovery of metaphorical powers. Amazing resourcefulness. Unique means of expression. The production is a phenomenon for having achieved the so rare unanimous acclaim of critics and audiences. It is an event in Bulgarian theatre life. BULGARIA

Idea, script, design, stage version and directing ? Nina Dimitrova, Vassil Vassilev — Zuek, Sletlozar Gagov
Costumes: Maya Petrova
Performers: Nina Dimitrova, Vassil Vassilev — Zuek

Duration ? 1 hour 20 min.

Age ? 16+

www.credotheatre.bg