Luna Davidova starring in the 'Stone Guest'

This is a photo, taken at the performance of the ?Stone Guest? by Pushkin at the Youth Theatre in Sofia in the 1950s. My role was that of Dona Anna and my partner was Kosta Tzonev, as Don Juan. The play was directed by Boyan Danovsky. When I came to Sofia I was fascinated by the theater. I have inherited the artistic inclinations of my father. I took part in a performance at the Jewish chitalishte, Emil Shekedjiisky; it was still called Bialik at the time. I recited Nikola Vaptsarov's poetry, among the classics of Bulgarian literature - 'Oh, Mother, Fernandez was murdered.' Then Nikolay Masalitinov [famous Russian and Bulgarian director, Head Director of the National Theater 'Ivan Vazov' in Sofia (1925-1944)] was staging a Jewish play by Sholem Aleichem called 'Tevye the Dairyman' starring the great Bulgarian actor Leo Konforti as Tevye. I took part in it on the stage of our chitalishte and obviously it turned out to be fine because Masalitinov was carried away by my performance. He said: 'You should go and apply at the Theatrical Academy.' It happened by chance - well probably not only by chance - I was admitted in September 1948 to VITIZ [Vissh Institut za Teatralno I Filmovo Izkustvo - Higher Institute for Theatrical and Film Arts]. I graduated in 1952 and I was immediately assigned to the The Youth Theater. I suppose this was my fate. As an actress I advanced quickly through the ranks; I took part in a lot of radio shows, in radio plays, I read poetry. I made several TV performances and I participated in several films - the best role I had was that of Varvara in 'Tobacco' [Dimitar Dimov (1907-1966) - one of the classics of Bulgarian literature. His novel 'Tobacco' - Tiutiun - was stigmatized by the Communist ideology as 'bourgeois and Freudist' when it was first published in 1951 and he was forced to re-write it]. But it seemed that I wasn?t made for cinema, my good roles were those in the theater. I had many recitals - Yavorov's poetry for example; we made plays with Chaprazov and Duparinova [famous Bulgarian actors]. Nowadays the young people don't know me but the adults say: Ah, Maria Stuart [from Friedrich Schiller's play], Ah, 'Aesopus'!, Ah, 'A Holiday In Arco Iris', Ah, 'The Stone Guest' by Pushkin.