Community Lab° Mentors
KSENIA RAVVINA
Mentor CoLab° and CriticLab°
Photo credit: Ksenia Ravvina
Ksenia Ravvina is a theatre director, author and curator whose international practice spans theatre, performance and interdisciplinary art. She studied History at Saint Petersburg State University, Theatre Directing in Frankfurt and Applied Theatre Studies at Justus Liebig University in Giessen.
Her work explores absence and visibility, weaving together the political and the poetic.
In recent years, she has created projects in Germany, Bulgaria, Latvia and the USA, collaborating with, among others, Deutsches Theater Berlin, Staatstheater Wiesbaden, Theater und Orchester Heidelberg, Schauspielhaus Bochum, RUHRTRIENNALE, Opera Philadelphia, Tanzplattform Rhein-Main and Künstlerhaus Mousonturm Frankfurt.
For several years, she has been leading a range of programs for young professionals at 180° – Laboratory for Innovative Art Festival in Sofia. She has assumed the artistic direction of Fringify – Independent Arts Festival Hamburg, curating the editions from 2024 to 2026 together with Alexandar Hadjiev.
MARCUS PETER TESCH
Mentor CriticLab°
Marcus Peter Tesch writes texts for spoken theatre and performance.He lives in Berlin and Vienna. His projects explore the visibility of queer perspectives and narratives, and critically engage with classism.
He studied Theatre Studies in Gießen and was a scholarship holder at Forum Text in Graz. After his studies, he worked as a freelance dramaturg at the Schaubühne Berlin.
Tesch’s plays have been staged at Theater RAMPE in Stuttgart, Schaubühne, Volkstheater Vienna, and within the independent scene. His English-language texts are touring as part of dance performances in the Netherlands, Germany, and Italy.
In December 2025, his text “Dorian Gray (exxtended version)” will premiere at Schauspiel Frankfurt, directed by Ran Chai Bar-zvi. From January 2026, the discursive performance series BUCCI × ꒰(・ ‿ ・)꒱, co-created with lynn t musiol, will continue at Hamburger Schauspielhaus.
In February 2026, his play “Unterweger”, directed by Branko Janack, will premiere at Schauspiel Köln.
Photo credit: Alena Schmick
VASIL BALEV
Mentor CriticLab°
Photo credit: Vasil Balev
Vasil Balev graduated in Anthropology and Philology at Sofia University.
He is the author of the poetry books Zlak (2011), Poems (2014), Weight (2019), and Only the Language (2025), published two months ago by Critique and Humanism Publishing House. He has won the Poetry Prize of the St. Kliment Ohridski Foundation, as well as the Ivan Nikolov Award.
His play Landslide was nominated for an Icarus Award for Dramaturgy and was staged at Sfumato Theatre Workshop. He works as an editor, dramaturge, and journalist.
STEFAN PROHOROV
Mentor CriticLab°
Stefan Prohorov is a Bulgarian director and playwright working mostly in the field of theatre and performing arts. His work focuses on an interdisciplinary approach to socially significant topics, as well as on cross-cultural experiments in classical theatre. His artistic work focuses on interactive and sensory performances on social issues, such as “On Voluntary Servitude” (Sofia, 2019), “Heritage: Revisited” (Targu Mures, 2019), “I for You” (fake political campaign in Sofia, 2019), “Prometheus” (2018), “Diary of Sorrow” (2018), “LOW COST” (2017), “Packages” (2017), etc. From December 2018 to January 2021, he is the Program Director at Sofia Cinema House, and since July 2019, he is a member of the Executive Board of the ACT Association. Some of his plays have been presented on the theatre stages in Sofia and/or at festivals such as “Sphere” Targu Mures 2019, “GATS” Beijing 2016, INTERPLAY 2012 and others.
Photo credit: Stefan Prohorov
ALEXANDAR HADJIEV
Mentor Improvisation Lab°
Photo credit: Alexandar Hadjiev
Alexandar Hadjiev, born in Sofia, Bulgaria, is a musician, composer, curator, and cultural educator. He studied bassoon in Sofia (NSM “L. Pipkov”) and completed advanced studies at the Folkwang University of Arts in Essen, Germany. He holds a Master’s degree in Contemporary Music Performance from the International Ensemble Modern Academy in Frankfurt and completed a specialization in cultural education at the University of Hildesheim.
Hadjiev has performed with prestigious ensembles, including M.A.M. Manufaktur für aktuelle Musik and Ensemble Modern, and collaborated with numerous renowned artists. His interdisciplinary work spans music composition, sound design, and multimedia performance, with significant contributions at venues such as Deutsches Theater Berlin, Theater Münster, and Theater im Delphi. Internationally, he has performed at many festivals in countries including Indonesia, Mexico, and the Philippines.
He is a co-founder of the “180° – Laboratory for Innovative Art” festival in Sofia, recognized as one of Bulgaria’s most dynamic contemporary art platforms, shortlisted for the European ArtExplora Prize in 2023. Since 2024 together with the director Ksenia Ravvina, Alexandar is artistic director of Fringify – Indpendent Arts Festival Hamburg.
In addition, Hadjiev has been deeply involved in cultural education since 2012, leading workshops and educational programs across Germany and Bulgaria, focusing on interdisciplinary performance and creative collaboration. He has been a guest lecturer at the International Ensemble Modern Academy and a mentor in various cultural education initiatives in Germany and beyond.
English 
Bulgarian