Alexander Morfov

Alexander Morfov (Bulgarian: Александър Морфов, born 9 November 1960, in Yambol) is a Bulgarian theater and cinema director.

Alexander Morfov
Alexander Morfov, theatre director
Born
Александър Морфов

November 9, 1960 (1960-11-09) (age 60)
Yambol, Bulgaria
NationalityBulgarian
OccupationTheatre and cinema director
Years active1990 – present
Spouse(s)Reni Vrangova, actress

Biography

Morfov's father was an officer, and his mother was a teacher in Russian language and literature, music, and also a conductor of a folklore choir in Sliven. After Morfov graduated from the Mathematical high school he attended lectures for two years in the Technical University of Varna.

Morfov's theater career began in student's years, when he participated as an assistant stage director in Stoyan Alexiev's theater company. After quitting university he began working in the theater in Sliven as a stage worker and later light manager. In 1984 he was enrolled in the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts (NATFA) in Sofia. He graduated from the Academy with a double major in stage directing for drama and puppet theater (1990) in the class of Julia Ognyanova and cinema directing (1994) in the class of Georgi Djulgerov.

Early works

His earliest works on a professional stage are in the Rhodope drama theater, where he was the author and director of the satire “Political cabaret” (1990). Immediately after his sophomore production he was invited to work at the Little City Theatre “Off the Channel” where he staged “Pere Ubu” by Alfred Jarry (1991), followed by “The Tempest” (1992) and “Hamlet” by Shakespeare in the “La Strada” theater.

Professional career in Bulgaria

From 1994 to 2000 he has been occupying the position Chief director at the “Ivan Vazov” National Theatre of Bulgaria. Morfov’s first shows at the National Theatre were his original version of “Don Quixote” by Miguel de Cervantes and a revised version of “The Tempest”. These two gave start to a whole new process of attracting young and modern-thinking audience to the theater. With his next production – “Midsummernight’s Dream” by W. Shakespeare, Alexander Morfov became one of the most popular theater directors in Bulgaria. His original version of “The Decameron, or Passion and Blood” after Boccaccio, also bears the traits of his stylistics. “The Lower Depths” by Maxim Gorky is Morfov’s way of sharply stating his civil opinion without betraying his typical theatricality. “Exiles” (2004) after a novel by Ivan Vazov, the national poet and writer, is the logical continuation to the latter. Among others, his productions on the leading stage in the country include: “Night of Miracles” after Beckett, Mrozek and Ionesco; “Dom Juan” by Moliere; “One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest”, “Life Is Beautiful” after Nikolai Erdman’s “The Suicide”, etc. In 2000 he was appointed managing and artistic director of the “Ivan Vazov” National Theater. He was dismissed from this position following a major conflict with the Ministry of Culture in Bulgaria. All of his productions were taken off the theater’s repertory.

International success

Since 2001 he has been successfully working in Russia. His first show – The Tempest in the Komissarzhevskaya Theatre was a landmark event in St. Petersburg's theatre life and was honoured with Russia's most prestigious award in the field of theatre, the Golden Mask Award. Immediately after that he was invited to Moscow, to the theatre of the famous Russian actor Alexander Kalyagin, Et cetera, where he staged Don Quixote and Pere Ubu with Kalyagin in the leading role. Both productions were nominated for the Golden Mask Award and Alexander Kalyagin received the award for Best Performance for the role of pere Ubu. Between 2003 and 2006 he was appointed chief stage director in the Komissarzhevskaya Theatre where he staged five productions and received the Golden Soffit Award for Dom Juan by Moliere and was again nominated for the Golden Mask Award. His productions One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest with Alexandr Abdulov and The Visit of the Old Lady with Maria Mironova in Lenkom Theatre also proved to be significant events in Moscow's theatre life. Morfov has received more than twenty national and international theatre awards, among which are the Golden Mask Award, Chaika [seagull], Crystal Turandot, etc.

In 2005 he worked in the United States with Mikhail Baryshnikov on the theatre project Doctor and Patient by Rezo Gabriadze.

In 2006 he returned to the National Theatre of Bulgaria as a chief stage director – a position he has been occupying since. Morfov's shows were presented at international theatre festivals in Vienna, Casablanca, Kiev, Torun, Ohrid, Belgrade, Wrocław, Hamburg, etc. He has numerous successful projects in Europe – France, Sweden, Macedonia, Romania, Latvia, and in the recent years in Israel. He is currently working at the Ion Luca Caragiale National Theatre, Bucharest, Romania, staging The Tempest by William Shakespeare.

Morfov is also a cinema director and scriptwriter. He is as successful as a cinema actor with roles in Ivan and Alexandra, Friends of Emily, The Last Sunday', The Goat Horn, The Love Summer of a Schlep, Travel to Jerusalem and others.

Personal life

Morfov is married to actress Reni Vrangova with whom he has two daughters – Neda and Sara.

TV and cinema

TV FILMS:

CINEMA:

Honorary awards and prizes

From the Society of theatre critics in Bulgaria:

  • 1994 Best stage director and Best production for “Don Quixote”
  • 1995 Best stage director and Best production for “Midsummernight’s Dream”
  • 2004 Best production for “Exiles”
  • 2007 Best production for “Dom Juan”

From Ohrid theatre festival:

  • 1992 First prize for the production “The Tempest”

“Askeer” theatre award in Bulgaria:

  • 1994 Best stage director and Best production for “Don Quixote”
  • 1997 Best stage director and Best production for “The Lower Depths”
  • 2004 Best stage director and Best production for “Exiles”
  • 2007 Best stage director and Best production for “Dom Juan”

“Icarus” theatre award given by the Bulgarian Actors’ Union

  • 1997 Best stage director and Best production for “The Lower Depths”
  • 2004 Best stage director and Best production for “Exiles”
  • 2007 Best stage director and Best production for “Dom Juan”

“The Golden Muse” Russian award

“The Golden Soffit” award in St. Petersburg

  • 2004 Best stage director and Best production for “Dom Juan”

“Chaika” [seagull] Russian award

“Crystal Turandot” Russian award

National Festival for TV and Cinema, Plovdiv, Bulgaria

  • 2001 Best director for the cinema production “Blueberry Hill”
  • 2009 Special prize of the jury for the cinema production “Exiles”

Bulgarian cinema award: 2002 Best directing debut for the production “Blueberry Hill”

Bulgarian Cinema Academy: 2009 Best cinema production “Exiles”, and many others

Nominations: “The Golden Mask” Russian award

Theatre awards in Romania:

ORDER OF “ST. CYRIL AND METHODIUS”

He has received the prestigious Bulgarian award order of “St. Cyril and Methodius”, first rang, “for special merit in the field of culture and arts in Bulgaria”. Alexander Morfov is doctor honoris causa of the University of Audiovisual Arts ESRA (Paris – Skopje – New York).

References
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