36 Monkeys - Medusa. Contemporary Playwriting in Europe

Organization 36 Monkeys is a public benefit association founded in 2007 in Sofia (Bulgaria) with the mission to promote contemporary dramaturgy and its translation. Among their key innovative initiatives is the ProText platform – a format for presenting new dramaturgy through performance-reading, which has established itself as a sustainable model for introducing new texts into the theatrical context and an attractive form of encounter with the audience. The platform has 14 completed editions, over 40 new European plays presented, and the performance-reading format has been presented many times at international forums in Europe and the USA. Since 2014, the organisation has actively collaborated with the international network for contemporary dramaturgy and translation EURODRAM and has active contacts with the participants of its 28 language committees.

The association also develops other innovative areas such as scientific theatre – using theatrical means to present scientific topics, as well as educational formats aimed at schoolchildren, students and young artists. Their activities cover performing arts, translation, cultural policies and support for the independent scene, with a focus on contemporary and borderline forms of theatre.

As a result of the active international work of the organization and its individual members, we have long-standing acquaintances with many of the participants in this project, as well as having worked together on various initiatives in the past. This is what motivated the creation of this idea of cooperation between the organisations – the desire to join forces in order to improve the conditions for the exchange of artists, works, ideas, best practices in the field of theatre, translation and contemporary dramaturgy in Europe.

Meet the people

Gergana Dimitrova

Gergana Dimitrova, PhD is a theater director, playwright, and translator, as well as the artistic director of the theater company “36 Monkeys,” which she founded in 2007. She graduated with a degree in cultural studies from Sofia University, studied theater directing at NATFA (Sofia), and subsequently studied directing at the Ernst Busch Academy of Dramatic Arts in Berlin.

In 2024, she earned her Ph.D. from Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” with a dissertation on experimental theater. Since 2002, she has directed productions at state theaters and worked on independent theater productions in Bulgaria and Germany. She is the author and co-author of 10 plays, 3 novel adaptations, and several articles on theater and dramaturgy. Her works have been performed in Germany, Greece, the United States, Austria, Finland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, France, Portugal, and Switzerland. In 2012, she received the “Ikar” Award for directing and playwriting for the play “Praehidno,” co-written with Zdravka Kamenova, and has received numerous nominations for theater and playwriting awards in Bulgaria and Europe. She translates mainly contemporary plays from German and has participated three times in the theater translation workshop in Mülheim. The main focus of her work to date has been contemporary dramaturgy and new theatrical forms. She is interested in the dialogue between theater and science, the interdisciplinary approach in theater, and cultural policies in the field of independent performing arts. She lives in Sofia.

Iliyana Hubenova

Iliyana Hubenova, PhD is a cultural manager and researcher in the field of cultural studies. She holds a bachelor’s degree in Cultural Studies, as well as master’s and doctoral degrees in cultural studies. She has extensive professional experience as a coordinator, administrative manager, and event manager for theater companies in Bulgaria’s independent theater scene. Since 2021, she has been co-coordinator of the Bulgarian committee of the international network EURODRAM, and since 2025, she has served as its coordinator.