Iva Paneva
In her artistic career as an independent Producer/Writer/Director and Performing artist, Dr. Iva Paneva aims to create projects that explore the various realms of existence, translate them in visually and mentally provocative performances both for children and adults.
Using theater, media & film as main mediums of expression, Dr. Iva Paneva strives to make a difference and create bridges for integration, inspiration and impact.
IPaneva intergrates her psychological background
in the artistic works and writings.
Author & Media Performance Artist
ARTIST VISION: Visually and mentally provocative multimedia performances; Merging live performance with video projection and other mediums of expression.
Psychologist & Drama Therapy
Educational and Therapeutic theater.
Educator
EDUCATOR VISION: Writing and coordinating creative, social and educational projects focused on youth empowerment, creativity, ways to diminish children inequities.
Iva Paneva
Bio
Mob.: +359 894 379 119
Dr. Iva Paneva is an independent producer & director, author, media performer artist.
Iva Paneva has an extensive experience in the creative fields of performance, filmmaking, TV& Audio-visual productions and writing. She was born in Bulgaria, lived in Tunisia and South Africa in a rich multicultural and multi-lingual environment.
1999 saw the publication of her children's book “Cosmic Story” in Bulgaria, which she adapted for stage in 2013 in the digital puppetry live theatre performance for kids “Juji in Cosmos”. She pursued her acting passion and successfully graduated with a Bachelor of Acting for Dramatic Arts from the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts, Bulgaria in 2000. Following her studies she started her career as a performer.
From 2000 to 2011, she settled down in South Africa, where her career focus expanded. She studied theatre directing, television and film at the University of the Witwatersrand where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts with Honours (2003) and a Master of Arts (2006).
In her creative international career, she was involved in ‘The Editor’, a multimedia installation piece, combined with live performance, created in collaboration with Rodney Place. ‘The Editor’ is part of ‘Angles of Stealth’ and was performed at the World Summit of the Arts in Johannesburg (2009) and at the Kunstmuseum in Bonn, Germany (2010) as part of the Videonale. Furthermore, she organised and curated the exhibition of the Japanese artist Yoshio Machida “Japanese Sound & Video Art 2011” in Varna. she produced and directed the Multimedia performance “Ya”, where the main theme is merging Japanese tradition with Thracian art by bringing a contemporary meaning, a co-production between Bulgaria and Japan, which was on tour 3 cities in Bulgaria in sept 2015. In 2013, the digital puppetry live theatre performance for kids “Juji in Cosmos was produced which is a cross-medium performance for children. In 2023 more educational performances were produced such as “Eco Dreams” and “Save the Sea” which focus is the adaptation of scientific facts and ecological truths to the understanding of young and intercultural audiences. In 2024 and 2025, Iva Paneva create two memorable innovative perfomances "Varna thoughout the centuries" (2024) and "Traveling through time: Odessos - Varna" (2025). Both performances explore the Antiquity period of the ancient city Odessos and through media, performance and characters communicating through the screen with those on stage, it creates an emmersive style of modern storytelling. Her latest performance is "Dangerous Rollercoster" (2025) dealing with addiction and ways to overcome the spiral of entranchment.
By merging her artistic and cultural management carrier, Iva manages to create memorable theatrical media performances, psychological drama therapeuric products and lasting international collaborations.
SELECTED CREATIVE PROJECTS:
2025: Dangerous Roller-coaster – (Producer/Author & director) – An interactive multimedia live performance against the usage of drugs.
2025: "Traveling through time: Odessos - Varna" (Producer/Author & director)
2024: "Varna thoughout the centuries" - Audio performance in ancient Odessos
2023: Eco Dreams – (Author/ Director&Actress) – An ecological futuristic tale for children. The performance has also an educational angle and teaches about recycling and preservation.
2023: “Save the Sea” – Sigh-specific performance on the theme of maritime preservation and climate change
2022: Doppelganger Dreams (Author/Director) – A multimedia theater – opera performance. A story about the imaginary encounter between Freud and Schnitzler and their characters.
2021: “#Fake Theater” (Author/Director/ Actress) – A play about addiction and family dynamics in codependency.
2019: “Unicorn” (Author/Actor)- Educational performance on the theme of aggression and bulling
2019: “ARTIST in MAHALA” – Artistic Reach for children from ethnical minorities through theater and audio-visual productions. One year outreach program in Plovdiv getho schools
2019: “EKO performance” – (Producer&Director&Actress) Development of New Audiences, National Fund of Culture.
2018: “Mr. Clincker” – (Writer/Producer/Actress) - Educational theater performance commitioned ny Devny Ciment for the Museum of Waste and Recycling.
2018: “The Kingdom of Vowel Letters” – (Author/Producer & Storyteller) The puppet performance is aimed at children between 3 and 8 years old. While learning about the vowels and age appropriate lexical knowledge, the children are immerged into a captivating story about a little mouse who celebrates his 5th birthday in the Kingdom of Vowel Letters.
2016:”Deadly Sins” – (Producer/Director) theater play by Phelix Mitterer, with the financial support of Austrian Embassy Sofia, selected at the Festival “In-between People and Cultures” Red House – Center for Culture and Debate – (Produced by Our World Theater)
2015: “YA”- Multimedia performance coproduction Bulgaria-Japan, (Director&Producer&Performer), Merging Japanese Tradition and Contemporary meaning, tour in 3 cities. Funded by the Japan Foundation (Produced by Our World Theater)
2014: “The Judgment”, feature film, directed by Stephan Comandarev (Actress-Bank Attendant)
2013 – Ongoing: “Juji in Cosmos”- a interactive educational digital puppetry performance (Writer/Director/Actress), Merging theater with science for kids. live theatre performance with puppets and 3D animation characters for kids, funded by Direction Culture of Varna Municipality. Since its creation the performance has had more than 2000 spectators. (Produced by Our World Theater). Since 2023, the play is
2011: “Maru/Circle”, an exhibition of Yoshio Machida, (Curator/Head of Project)
"Japanese Sound & Video Art with Yoshio Machida 2011", Graffit Gallery. Organising and presenting the latest solo exhibition of Yoshio Machida, 'Maru', founded by the Japan Foundation, (Produced by Our World Theater)
2010: “Angles of Stealth” Kunstmuseum in Bonn, Germany (2010) as part of Videonale(Performer)
EDUCATION:
2017 – 2021 PhD in Theater Arts, Educational and Therapeutic Theater, National Academy of Theater and Film Arts, Sofia, Bulgaria.
2004 - 2006 Master of Arts by Coursework and Research Report, University
of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
2003 - 2004 Bachelor of Arts with Honours, University of the Witwatersrand,
Johannesburg, South Africa
Modules: Directing, Scriptwriting, Editing, Cinematography, TV production
1996 - 2000 Bachelor of Arts (Acting for Drama), National Academy of
Theatre and Film Arts, Sofia, Bulgaria
Certificates:
Post-graduate certificate in Cultural management (Sofia University)
Post-graduate certificate - English Teacher (Veliko Tarnovo University)