The Island of the Pelicans

What if every action we take left a trace somewhere else?

Imagine two worlds existing simultaneously. In one, you make a choice. In the other, it has already happened.

The Island of the Pelicans by Stefan Lak unfolds as two parallel stories—one set in Vienna, the other in Mexico. They never meet, yet they repeat each other. They are not alike, yet they lead to the same place.

Friendships shift. Love changes direction. Words remain unspoken, while decisions always arrive at precisely the right—or the wrong—moment.

The worlds move in parallel, like reflections that cannot touch but cannot break away from one another either. Every action leaves a trace. Every trace leads somewhere.

The more the stories unfold, the more they begin to resemble each other. As though every decision had already been made somewhere else. As though a person could change countries, languages, and lives—but not themselves.

Gradually, the boundary between chance and predestination begins to disappear. What remains is the feeling that, no matter what changes, a person cannot step outside their own story.

Because we always carry ourselves with us.

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By Stefan Lak

Translation: Vladko Murdarov

Director: Radina Aleksieva

Set design: Kosara Tsvetkova

Costume design: Zeyna Mansouri

Music: Pencho Popov

Cast:

Plamen Ivanov

Boris Hadzhiyski

Boryana Ivanova

Nikolay Haytov Rhodope Drama Theatre

28 May 2026 · 7:00 p.m.

The production is realized with the financial support of the National Culture Fund.