site.btaInternational Puppet Theatre Festival Opens in Plovdiv

"The Culture Ministry really appreciates the organizers' efforts to keep up and build on the tradition of this awesome cultural forum, which has been making Plovdiv a hub for important theatre events for a few decades now and giving a stage for bold experiments and dialogue between artists and the audience. This is why this year's festivals are being held with the support and patronage of the Culture Ministry," Culture Minister Marian Bachev said at the opening of the 26th edition of the international puppet theater festival Three Are Too Many, Two - Not Enough and the 12th international street arts festival TheatAir in Plovdiv, the municipal administration in the city said on Friday.

Bachev wished the participants success, and the audience unforgettable encounters with art in its most sincere and impactful forms.

“If we are to talk about Three Are Too Many, Two - Not Enough – a traditional festival and an emblem of our city – we must say that it is a living projection of the work of the Puppet Theatre, of its director and team. The programme offers strong national and international participation, along with many innovations. With the support of the Municipality of Plovdiv, the Puppet Theatre team and its director were the first in Bulgaria to place robots and artificial intelligence at the centre of the performing arts,” Deputy Mayor for Culture, Archaeology and Tourism Plamen Panov addressed the audience.

The festival Three Are Too Many, Two - Not Enough (September 4–9) presents Bulgarian and international performances for children and adults. The programme features classical and contemporary titles from leading puppet and drama-puppet theatres in Bulgaria, as well as international performances from Croatia, Poland, Chile, Iran, Slovenia, and the Netherlands. The accompanying programme includes exhibitions, magazine launches, documentary film screenings, discussions, concerts, and artistic evenings on an open-air stage.

TheatAir presents outdoor performances, street theatre, parades, and workshops in five parks in different districts of Plovdiv (September 4–7). The festival is oriented toward free access and a wide audience across various urban zones, promoting street forms of puppet, circus, musical, and visual art, while transforming emblematic Plovdiv spaces into stages for performances and shows in the open urban environment.