Shahname: Legend of Zal
By Ferdowsi
Translation: Yordan Milev
Director and stage version: Elena Panayotova
Composer: Nikolay Ivanov
Artist: Youlian Tabakov
Choreographer: Rosen Mihailov
Live music: Marina Velikova
Cast: Dobrin Dosev, Velislav Pavlov, Sevar Ivanov, Zhana Rasheva, Vasil Ryakhov, Ralitsa Stoyanova, Stefani Aldimirova, Rosen Mihailov, and NBU students Kiril Milushev, Vesi Metodieva, Gabriela Gancheva, Yoana Sirakova, Maria Ignatova, Mikhail Ivanov, Nikola Kutsev, Tony Nikolov, Pavel Sabev
DEN GRI Foundation in cooperation with Azarian Theater
Youlian Tabakov
Youlian Tabakov is a Bulgarian scenographer. He received his first Master′s Degree in Scenography and Costume Design from the National Art Academy N. Pavlovich in Sofia in 2000 and a second one in Fine Arts – photography and sculpture from ENS des Beaux-Arts in Paris in 2002.
His first professional appearance as a set designer and director was in Chekov′s play Three Sisters at the theatre “Salza i Smjah” in Sofia, Bulgaria (1999). Since 2002 he has been working and has made the sets and costume designs for more than 40 productions in Sweden, Bulgaria, Russia, and Lithuania.
Youlian Tabakov has illustrated numerous poetry and children’s books and has presented some of them in several group and solo exhibits in Bulgaria, Sweden, and the Czech Republic.
In 2012 he finishes his first documentary film Tzvetanka and was subsequently selected for: Documentary Fortnight 2013, MoMA’s International Festival of Nonfiction Film and Media, and more than 25 other festivals, and received 12 international awards.
In 2014, he directed together with Anne-Kathrin Peitz the documentary SATIESFICTIONS, the film wins the Best European Movie award in Jakarta IFF.
Amongst the solo expositions are Photography and Sculpture in 2007 in Giljotin Stockholm and The Red House in Sofia, Tzvetanka in 2012 in Sofia Art Gallery. In April 2015 he presents the large-scale photography project MOMENTS in the contemporary art gallery Rayko Alexiev in Sofia. In 2011, he received the Golden Age Prize for his contributions to the development of Bulgarian culture, and in 2013 received the Asker 2013 Award for achievements in stage costume design.