Director Aleksandar Morfov Heads Bulgaria's National Theater after Quitting

Prominent theater director Aleksandar Morfov is the new interim head of the National Theater Ivan Vazov as of Monday, January 5.

Morfov is to remain at the post until a competition takes place.

This is the second time Morfov heads the National Theater, a position he assumed for two years between 1999 and 2001 after his predecessor Vasil Stefanov stepped down to protest spending cuts.

Pavel Vasev, the theater's outgoing chief, recently retired, and his likely successor Emil Bonev refused to take the post.

Morfov, whose plays have been widely acclaimed by some critics and spectators (though controversially described by many others), quit the National Theater in end-November to vent his anger at lawmakers' decision to appoint Slavi Binev, a businessman and former MEP, as the head of Parliament's Culture and Media Committee.

His actions were met with solidarity from colleagues, who took to the streets to demonstrate against Binev, with the latter subsequently stepping down under both societal and government pressure.

Back then, Morfov explained his decision by saying he did not wish to remain in a "state-owned enterprise" after Binev's appointment and said he was "against this government."

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