'Its a Short Life'

by Stanislav Stratiev

cted by Emmanuel Vacca

From August 1st to 12th 2006 Blue Raincoat Theatre Company staged a production of ‘It’s a Short Life’ by Stanislav Stratiev at The Factory Performance Space. The Company had invited Emmanuel Vacca of Aria Teatro, Paris to direct the show written by Bulgaria ’s most successful comedy writer of the 20th century. Stratiev’s plays have enjoyed over 1,500 performances across the world. ‘It’s a Short Life’ (La vie bien qu’elle soit courte) was been translated into English specifically for this production.

Emmanuel Vacca studied at the Ecole Internationale de Mimodrame, Paris with Marcel Marceau and worked later as assistant to Marcel Marceau before becoming creative director of the school between 1995 and 2005.

Although he was directing on this occasion he is also an acclaimed actor and writer and has been involved in the production of numerous shows throughout Western Europe and Russia .

All of Stratiev’s plays are highly entertaining satirical excursions into the land of the absurd. They address the bureaucracy, nepotism and corruption of totalitarian society and their inevitable transmutations during the transition to democracy. His heroes are small people left to the mercy of a higher power who constantly find themselves in comic and surreal circumstances.