Sofia Puppet Theater

Founded in 1946 by Mara Penkova with her own funds, the first Bulgarian puppet theater quickly succeeded in capturing the public’s attention. Nadya Trendafilova put up the first performance “Tatuncho and the Dragon” on April 21, 1946. Only two years later, the troupe was awarded a state subsidy and became the first officially- recognized professional state theater in Bulgaria. The 1960s were the theater’s golden era, characterized by highly successful performances that spread the theater’s reputation throughout the world – from Cuba, the USA and Canada through Europe to as far away as Japan. Examples for this are the theater’s productions as “King Marko” (1967), “Pinocchio” (1968), “The Watchmaker” (1965), “The Decameron” (1972), “Macbeth” (1996), the cult classic “Ragazza” that was sold out weeks in advance of its opening, as well as the legendary “The Princess and the Pea”. On May 23, 2001 the Central Puppet Theater became Sofia Puppet Theater. The theater annually maintains more than twenty titles in its repertoire, gives more than 500 performances and prepares up to six new productions each season, entertaining more than 50,000 young and adult spectators with its high-quality performances.