Brother and sister third generation actors in the movie “Petya na moya Petya”

Desislava Stoycheva and Atanas Atanasov

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Alice and Yassen are third generation actors. They are children of Desislava Stoycheva and Atanas Atanasov and grandchildren of Violeta Bahchevanova and Vasil Stoychev. But both great-grandparents have artistic genes.

Violeta Bakhchevanova

was born on March 22, 1935.

in Sofia’s Lozenets district. ”Her mother Lyubka graduated in pedagogy, but is mostly a housewife, raising their daughters Violeta and Mariana. Her father, Yanaki, was born in Sliven but grew up in Burgas.

He has a university degree in economics, but sings very well and for many years has been side by side with Boris Hristov in the Gusla Choir. Both are bass. After 1944, listened to by Stefan Makedonski himself, he became a chorister and chorister-artist at the State Musical Theater, where he retired.

The singing talent was inherited from both of Bahchevanov’s daughters – Mariana sings in the Academic Choir, and Violeta – in the Girls’ Choir.

In 1954, Violeta graduated from high school with great success and has only 15 days after graduation to prepare to apply to DVTU (State Higher Theater School). She prepares herself. The main material – “Provincialists” is by Chudomir, the poem – by Mladen Isaev, and the fable – by Hristo Radevski.

There are 1,500 candidates for fame, but they accept 15 women and 45 men. After the three examination rounds before commissions chaired by Prof. Krastyo Mirski and Prof. Nikolay Masalitinov, Violeta Bahchevanova was accepted with the highest score in the class of Prof. Filip Filipov. Vasil Stoychev, who will become her husband, was also admitted to the same acting class. He often used to say that at the last exam at DVTU Violeta sang Habanerata from “Carmen”, and he – “When I was a shepherd”.

The Stoychev family

starts from Kyustendil,

where on September 29, 1935 Vasil was born. His father, the famous photographer and owner of the photo “Swimsuit” is also an unsurpassed reciter of folk art.

Vasil Stoychev completed his secondary education at the Model Economic College in Sofia. He studied for one year at the Karl Marx Institute, but quickly realized that he had “made a mistake in his profession” and turned to the State Technical University.

He and Violeta are from the generation that participated in the construction of the new building at 108 Rakovski Street. They carry beams, clean and see how DVTU becomes VITIZ.

The great love between them flares up somewhere after the third year. They are assigned to the Plovdiv Theater, but one evening they meet with the directors Vili Tsankov, Yulia Ognyanova and Leon Daniel, who invite several people from the two acting classes to come to them in Burgas. Violeta and Vasil decide to ask their professor Filip Filipov and he tells them: “Children, go! What you carry inside you, no one can take away from you … ”

The two set off from Sofia to Bourgas in a “relatively decent horse-drawn carriage” on which they loaded the beds and other household items for their future home. Suddenly the car of the rector of VITIZ DB was leveled next to the cart. Myths. He comes out of it and when he understands where they are headed, he says: “You will become artists!” “He was impressed by this cart and our cheerful mood,” Bahchevanova wrote in her book “And the theater can do without each of us.”

In Burgas, in the beginning, the two are separated – Vasil lives in the same room with Zhivko Garvanov, and due to lack of accommodation she is placed in the dressing room, where there are even rats.

They are both debuting

with the main roles

Ty e Nila Snishko in “Drummer” by Athanasius Salinski, directed by Julia Ognyanova. He – in Lozan Strelkov’s play “Intelligence”, directed by Vili Tsankov.

On April 17, 1960, Easter falls, the two get married in Sofia. Their godparents are the poet Nayden Valchev and his wife Minka Dolapchieva, their fellow student at DVTU. The next day they travel back for rehearsals in Burgas.

During the first season at the Burgas Theater, the two performed in eight productions. However, the season turned out to be the last. One day Bahchevanova, Stoychev and Zhivko Garvanov received envelopes with identical letters.

The management of the National Theater “Ivan Vazov” invites you to a public debut on the stage of the theater. In case of success you will be included in the cast, otherwise your place in the Burgas Drama Theater will be preserved. “

They go to Burgas in a horse-drawn carriage, but return in a truck with their belongings. On the way, however, they almost crash – the driver falls asleep, but they manage to wake him up.

Violeta Bahchevanova made her debut at the National Theater as Maria-Desislava in Kamen Zidarov’s play “Ivan Shishman”, directed by Nikolai Lyutskanov. Not only did the role immediately give her star status in the theater, but many parents named their daughters Desislava. The play has been played for 7 years and has 450 performances.

Stoychev has an episodic role in the play – he plays a prisoner of Sultan Murad. But it is in her that the film director Dako Dakovski sees him and entrusts him with the image of Kaloyan in his film of the same name.

Violeta Bahchevanova and Vasil Stoychev have been performing on the stage of the National Theater for almost half a century and with their participations in the Television Theater they have over a hundred roles each. If their recitals are added, the figure becomes really impressive. It is no coincidence that both have a panel with prints on the Wall of Fame at Theater 199 and together they received the Icarus Award for “outstanding creative contribution to the Bulgarian theater.”

I do not know why

the cinema ignored

theirs

artistic power

After her debut in 1958 in “Rib Adamovo” Bahchevanova starred in only a dozen films and TV series and has only one main role – Igna in “Village near the factory.” In Ilya Velchev’s film “If There Are You” is the mother of the main character Nelly (Iren Krivoshieva).

After his triumph in “Kaloyan” Vasil Stoychev has episodic appearances in 13 movies and TV series. A little, too little for his talent. 60 years together in life and on stage, the two leave this world a little over a year away. He – on July 15, 2020, she – on August 23, 2021.

They have two daughters from their marriage – Desislava, named after her heroine from the play “Ivan Shishman”, and Biliana.

Desislava Stoycheva graduated in acting from the National Academy of Theater and Film Arts. As an actress she participated in performances of the Vratsa and Youth Theater, Theater 199, “Atelier 313”, in Bulgarian and foreign films.

Since 1992, he has served on the British Council, where he is the regional and global manager of arts and education programs, leading teams in more than 70 countries. She continues to perform as a professional actress.

Dr. Stoycheva is one of the founders of the master’s program “Management in Performing Arts and Industries” at NATFA and is a lecturer in art management. She holds a PhD in Theater and Film Arts and a Certified Project Manager from the International Project Management Association (IPMA). He is the author of the books “Managing Innovative Theater Projects” and “Actors, Managers and Skills of the Future”.

In 1989

Desislava is

married Atanas

Atanasov,

also an actor. He was born on September 15, 1955 in Sofia. In 1980 he graduated from VITIZ with Prof. Sasho Stoyanov. It is distributed in the Sliven Theater. From 1985 to 2000 he was an actor at the Theater of the Bulgarian Army (TBA), since 2001 he has been a freelancer.

He has performed in performances of the National and Youth Theater, Theater 199, MGT “Behind the Canal”, Satire, “Tear and Laughter”. As a director he has staged productions at the TBA, the National Theater, Theater 199, in Plovdiv, Varna, Stara Zagora …

Since 1991 he has been teaching acting at the National Academy of Theater and Film Arts in the teams of Prof. Elena. Baeva, Prof. Krikor Azaryan and Prof. Plamen Markov.

Since 2003, Prof. Atanasov has been the artistic director of acting classes for drama theater.

After 2002 he acquired the scientific title “Professor” and the scientific degree “Doctor”. He is the author of the book “Subject and Image”.

He has acted in about 50 Bulgarian and foreign film productions and TV series. We remember him from “Home for our children”, “The lot”, “Glass house”, “Fourth power”, “Church for wolves” and others.

Their daughter Alice

graduated from NATFA

in 2013 in the class of Prof. Plamen Markov and joined the troupe of MGT “Behind the Canal”. He also plays in performances of Sfumato and the National Theater. He is part of the troupe of “HaHaHa Impro Theater”. She taught at the acting school of Malin Krastev. Now Alice lives in Germany, where she is sent by love and the desire to start something new.

Yassen Atanasov was born on March 27, 1997. Initially he did not intend to apply to NATFA. He graduated from the First German High School and went to study audiovisual media in Stuttgart. Then he threw himself into tourism and hospitality.

But apparently the proverb “Blood does not rise” is triggered. In 2017 he was admitted to NATFA in the class of Prof. Ivaylo Hristov. Now Yassen Atanasov is in the troupe of the Military Theater, where he plays in the productions “Marquis de Sade”, “Woman of No Importance”, “Cyrano de Bergerac”, “Lesson in Bulgarian”, “The Canopy” and others.

The younger daughter

Biliana is now Dr.

Stoycheva-Horisyan

She also holds a degree in acting from the National Academy of Theater and Film Arts and a doctorate in the United States, where she has lived for 25 years. Since 2012 is in Pennsylvania, where he is the head of the theater department at Lycomimg College and teaches directing and acting. He continues to direct and act professionally. Her acting and directing students have won prestigious awards at the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival.

Her husband, Kevork Horisyan, is vice-chancellor at Bucknell University. He is one of the leading experts in the field of data visualization and analysis of the factors that help students successfully complete college.

Their son Mikael Horisyan graduated in medicine and works as a dermatologist. He has published peer-reviewed articles in many of the leading scientific journals in dermatology.

Daughter Christine Horisyan graduated from college this spring and began working as a marketing manager for one of America’s largest digital marketing companies.

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