site.btaInternational Ankara Puppet Festival Kicks Off with Bulgarian Monodrama "Plums For Garbage"

The 11th International Ankara Puppet Festival kicked off Thursday evening with the monodrama Plums For Garbage, a production of the Burgas State Puppet Theatre starring actress Desislava Mincheva-Todorova. Running until October 27, the festival features performances from Bulgaria, Turkiye, Uzbekistan, Moldova, and Kazakhstan.

The monodrama is based on a folk tale about a young man who travels from village to village, offering plums in exchange for garbage, in the hope of meeting a girl to marry. Mincheva-Todorova’s theatrical interpretation offers a contemporary twist, reflecting on the qualities modern young people seek in partners - far removed from the purity celebrated in the original tale.

In an interview with the Bulgarian News Agency, she noted that today, women and young girls tend to go for the easier option, seeking qualities beyond love, especially if presented with something flashy or expensive. "In our version, the woman remains the purest, but she chooses the man for different reasons," Mincheva-Todorova said.

The costumes, set design, comedic scenes, and lines in Bulgarian and Turkish elicited laughter and applause from the audience within minutes of the curtain rising. Among those attending were diplomats from the Bulgarian Embassy in Ankara.

"I believe my sense of humour is what wins [over the audience]. The incredible humour that Bulgarians employ so well. The theme is not exclusive for Bulgaria: a man seeking a woman, looking to find the purest one, wandering until he finds her. The theme of cleanliness - cleaning the city, cleaning the world, cleaning... This is a main theme both for Bulgarians and Turks. I think this is a major issue for us," the actress said.

Mincheva-Todorova is a regular guest at the festival. Since the festival's founding 11 years ago, the organizers have been including a Bulgarian production each year.

"Every year we invite participants from Bulgaria because puppet theaters in Bulgaria perform exceptionally well. We have also seen dramatic performances in Bulgaria, and I can say that your theatre is at a very high level. It is very powerful yet comical. [...] We are fans of the magnificent Desislava Mincheva-Todorova. We believe that she will enchant the audience with her solo performance. That is why we wanted to open the festival with it," festival director Marina Yuce said.

Although the festival is non-competitive, it features many performances that have already won awards at other theater events. The organizers believe that this showcases the quality of the performances, story selection, acting, puppetry, and music. As a token of appreciation, all participants received certificates during the opening ceremony.