Dobri Voynikov (1833–1878) Monument to Voynikov in Shumen Dobri Popov Voynikov (Добри Попов Войников; 10 November 1833–27 March 1878) was a Bulgarian teacher, playwright and journalist of the Bulgarian National Revival. He is regarded as the father of modern Bulgarian theatre and the first Bulgarian producer. Voynikov was among the founders of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

Voynikov was born in the city of Shumen in 1833 and studied at Sava Filaterov, Ivan Bogorov and Sava Dobropolodni's schools. He graduated from the French Lycée de Galatasaray in Istanbul in 1858 and became a teacher in Shumen, where he remained until 1864. In Shumen, he was an active public figure and took an active part in the Bulgarian Church struggle and the establishment of secular Bulgarian education.