However, on September 29, 1944, a day before the premiere of "When Thunder Strikes" by one of Bulgarian’s greatest poets Peyo Yavorov, the authorities of the Fatherland Front stop its funding and disband it. Nevertheless, local actors accept the challenges of the new social order and announce the creation of the Gorna Dzhumaya’s "Todor Chopov" Community Theater. They rehearse and perform shows throughout the region, and in many cases, they become a front-line theater.

In the years 1947-1948, an attempt is made in the Pirin region to realize the so-called "Macedonian autonomy," with the consent and assistance of the new Bulgarian government. The entire repertoire of the theatre is performed in literary Macedonian, but this period does not last long. In the second half of 1948, the theatre is named "National Theatre” – Gorna Dzhumaya. Iliya Brachkov, Vladimir Davchev, Lyubomir Miladinov, Stoyan Valkov, Yanko Zdravkov, Ana Taseva, Ana Dimova, Aphrodite Dinova, Eva Tuparova, Dimitar Manchev, Nikola Dadov, and Vera Vuchkova receive actor titles. The theatre is rightfully declared a cultural institution with state subsidy. In 1952, it takes poet Nikola Vaptsarov as its patron, and in 1967, it receives its own building.

The theatre has won numerous prestigious awards from national forums and festivals—for directing, acting, scenography, and music. Iconic theatre artists of Bulgarian theatre have worked on its stage, such as Lyuben Groys, Konstantin Iliev, Grisha Ostrovski, Krikor Azaryan, Krasimir Spasov, Asen Shopov, Ivan Dobchev, Snezhina Tankovska, Margarit Minkov, and many others.

Since 1988, the "Nikola Vaptsarov" Drama Theatre in Blagoevgrad has been the organizer of a theatre festival. The festival hosts some of the best productions of the season in Bulgaria. The long-standing tradition of the festival was interrupted in 2002 but was restored in 2022 with the first edition of the "Balkan Theatre Festival," which is focused on the brightest achievements in the performing arts of the Balkan countries.

As of today, the "Nikola Vaptsarov" Drama Theatre in Blagoevgrad is the largest state cultural institution outside the capital in the Southwest region. It maintains a rich and diverse active repertoire of nearly 20 titles. Its ensemble consists of 21 actors, and the stage is graced by some of the most significant directors, scenographers, and composers of contemporary Bulgarian theater, such as Stayko Murdjev, Veselka Kuncheva, Anton Ugrinov, Neda Sokolovska, Teya Sugareva, Boyan Ivanov, Marina Raychinova, Petar Dundakov, and many others.