Emiliya Ilieva graduated with a degree in Theatre Studies and Theatre Management from the Krastyo Sarafov National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts (NATFA) in 2017. In 2021, she earned a Master’s degree in Pre-school and Primary School Pedagogy from St. Cyril and St. Methodius University of Veliko Tarnovo (VTU).
She joined the Gabrovo Theatre team as a Public Relations Specialist in late May 2022, having served one month prior as President of the Professional Jury at the SoloAct International Monodrama Festival 2022. In June 2023, Emiliya became resident dramaturg at the theatre.
Her theatrical articles and reviews have appeared in various professional and popular media outlets, including the international theatre portal EuropeanStages. She also writes short fiction for children and adults, with several stories winning literary awards and appearing in print anthologies.
Emiliya’s professional journey began during her undergraduate studies as a radio reporter for Radio Alma Mater. Between 2015 and 2016, she worked at the Nikolay Binev Youth Theatre.
For two consecutive years (2016 and 2017), Emiliya took part in the International Volunteer Programme at the Sibiu International Theatre Festival in Romania. In 2018, she completed an Erasmus+ traineeship as a member of the festival’s organizational team.
In 2017, Emiliya received the Vasa Gancheva Special Distinction in the national competition honoring young talent in television criticism, journalism, essay writing, and literary translation from Scandinavian languages.
In 2018, she participated in an international workshop for emerging theatre critics in Stockholm, Sweden, organized by the International Association of Theatre Critics (IATC).
In 2024, Emiliya served on the selection committee for the “Green Cat” contemporary playwriting competition for young audiences, organized by Targovishte Drama Theatre.
In September 2024, the production “BozhankaliiTE,” written by Emiliya Ilieva, was staged as a co-production between Racho Stoyanov Drama Theatre and the Bozhentsi Architectural and Historical Reserve. Created specifically to commemorate the museum reserve’s 60th anniversary, the project was funded by the Gabrovo Municipality Culture Programme.
In late 2022, Emiliya wrote the children’s plays “Mite and the Kind Words” and “The Song of the Flowers.” The former was selected for a staged reading in the new playwriting competition at the Drumev Theatre Days Festival in Shumen in 2023. She is also the author of the monodramas “Midnight Thoughts” and “St. John’s Day” (Ivanovden).