The International Puppet Festival The Golden Dolphin was established in 1972. Its 19th issue is forthcoming in 2025. It is held once in every three years, from 1st to 7th October.
The year is 1969. State Puppet Theatre of Varna is an initiator of state theatre celebrations. Its success is unexpected and it turns into festival of the Bulgarian puppet theatre play next year. On October 1972, the first international festival of the Bulgarian puppet play is opened officially. This is The Golden Dolphin. A unique forum appears on the palette of the international theatre festivals to support and defend the Bulgarian puppet dramaturgy for many years yet.
Since then, The Golden Dolphin takes place every three years, in the beginning of October, in Varna. "Your rose is so precious for you, because of the time you spent for it", the Fox says to the Little Prince. When this is time, enthusiasm, efforts and goodwill of thousands of people - organizers, creators, followers from far and near places, public figures and audience, then the confirmation of The Golden Dolphin is possible and it turns into a centre of best achievements in the puppet theatre art all over the world. The festival becomes a significant event in the chronicles of our national culture. It promotes the development of the Bulgarian puppet theatre and contributes to its popularity here and abroad.
During past 50 years The Golden Dolphin attracted the attention of imminent Bulgarian authors like Valeri Petrov, Rada Moskova, Yordan Radichkov, Boris Aprilov and many others to the problematics of the puppet theatre for children. Their works reveal in a new light the puppet theatre social function. Along with this, the festival is a stage giving way to the expression of brilliant talents in the field of puppet staging, stage design, music and acting. The parallel programs: workshops, seminars, stage design exhibitions, theoretical conferences, meetings, discussions, enjoy the exceptional interest by the festival participants and guests.
Within the last editions, these are:
•Educational theatre - open seminars and demonstrative performances of a new theatre form supporting the educational program in the primary school;
• Puppets and Therapy - the puppet theatre as a mean of expression in the communication to help the disabled children;
• Exhibitions of imminent stage designers and of stage design projects by stage design students from Krastyu Sarafov NATFA and the National Academy of Arts.
The changes in the Bulgarian society at the end of past century impose some changes in the festival statute. So, the tenth festival edition in 1996 is held in three sections:
• Staging a new Bulgarian puppet play or after a Bulgarian stage adaptation of an artistic work written after the last festival edition;
• A puppet performance for children;
• A puppet performance for adults
The performances from the competition program are assessed by an international jury, the members of which are imminent experts in the field of puppet theatre art and by a children's jury established at the last few editions.
The Golden Dolphin…
A festival of respecting traditions that develops and grows up over years because it draws life-giving water from the never failing source of this ancient and modern art.
A festival wanted and waited for by the creators and the audience because it had never disappointed their hopes to see the newest, the best, the most interesting of what is made on both Bulgarian and worldwide puppet stage; to commensurate their own works with those of their colleagues in an exceptionally kind-hearted and supporting professional environment; to meet both new and old friends…
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