Congratulations to Prof. Valleri Robinson (Theatre), who has received a 2025-2026 U.S. Scholar Fulbright to develop the book, “Directing in Context: Javor Gardev’s Theatre of Vulnerability, 1994-2024.” Gardev’s theoretically robust theatrical contributions began with his daring directorial experiments in 1994 in post-communist transitional Bulgaria, where he first thrived. Since then, his productions, ranging from piercing Shakespearean adaptations to menacing contemporary new drama, have been produced and toured throughout Europe, Russia, Turkey, the UK, and the US. The book will focus on how Gardev has used theatre to explore rich philosophical questions of human relations amidst continuous economic, political, and social uncertainty. It will describe and analyze the methods through which Gardev portrays human vulnerability, precarity, and volatile power relations. While in Sofia in Spring 2026, Valleri will offer short courses on adapting Chekhov and documentary theatre at New Bulgarian University.