The Role of the Theatrical Repertoire Through the Lens of Power in Bulgaria (1944–1948)

This study aims to answer the question, “Whom does the theater serve?” during the period of the so-called People’s Democracy (1944–1948) through the prism of the repertoire policy pursued at the time. It traces the evolution of the state’s understanding of repertoire policy and theater itself during a transitional and turbulent period, when the foundations of the socialist conception of Bulgarian theater’s role and place in the socio-cultural sphere were being laid. The study employs the method of historical analysis and is based on a large number of archival materials, many of which are introduced into scholarly circulation for the first time. It elucidates the interrelation between domestic and foreign political processes on the one hand and the developments in theater on the other, demonstrating how theatrical dramaturgy gradually became a mechanism for serving the government’s agenda – reinforcing the present and unveiling the “glorious” prospects of the future.