The Fourth World Laboratory, New York, is a nonprofit organization established in 2004 to advance theater technique by fostering experimentation and international collaboration and education. Its current primary project, The Rhodopi International Theater Collective, was inaugurated in the summer of 2005 with the assistance of the Krustyo Sarafov National Academy for Theater and Film Arts, the Rhodopi Dramatichen Theater, and the HyperMedia Studio at the University of California, Los Angeles- with participants from the Americas, the United Kingdom, Croatia, Bulgaria, Russia, and Indonesia. With a broadening roster of partners and represented countries, The Collective enters its second year.
The National Academy for Theater and Film Arts (NATFA), Sofia, was founded in 1948, and remains the only state-funded theater and film educational institution in Bulgaria. As a full member of ELIA (European League of Institutes of the Arts), UNIMA (International Puppeteers Association), ITI (International Theater Institute), and CILECT (International Association of the Film and TV Schools), NATFA offers BA, MA, and PhD degrees, and is an active partner in projects developed through ERASMUS, TEMPUS, SOCRATES, and other educational programs.
The Rhodopi Dramatichen Theater (RDT), Smolyan, Bulgaria, is one of the most productive regional professional repertory companies in the Balkans. Founded in 1951, the RDT has staged over 330 productions, utilizing the talents of its permanent company, as well as those of visiting artists from all over the world. The RDT regularly tours its work to international festivals and venues throughout Europe, and took its first trip to the United States in 2003. The theater continuously hosts performances from other theater groups, conducts collaborative workshops, and operates an academy for young performers.
The HyperMedia Studio is a research unit in the UCLA School of Theater, Film and Television (TFT), founded in 1997 to explore the creation of intelligent, dynamic, and adaptable media-rich physical environments. Through applied research, production of original work by faculty and students, and collaboration with other on-campus departments, it seeks to challenge and expand existing boundaries of the creation and experience of artistic works. In its eight-year existence, The Studio has created immersive, media-rich and physically interactive installations shown internationally in the United States, Europe, and Latin America, as well as provided technological development for UCLA theatrical productions.
The Academy of Dramatic Art at the University of Zagreb is The Fourth World's most recent partner. Founded in 1897 as a School of Acting, it has functioned as an Advanced Institute since 1950 with Departments of Acting, Theater Directing, Dramaturgy, Cinematography, Film and TV Directing, Editing, and Producing.