"The Little Old Man with His Friends"
Shu-Ming Ju (actor, Dot Go Theatre - Kaohsiung, Taiwan): “Coming back to Varna for me is like coming home - it always feels like I’ve never left. Varna is without a doubt my home away from home, I never even need to adapt to jet lag. Wherever I travel around the world, the Puppet Theatre here is always in my heart. Coming to the festival and meeting different artists, spending time with all of my Varna colleagues, especially Vera - it always feels like working alongside my brothers and sisters. I am really happy to be part of this “Golden Dolphin” edition, after a long break of 5 years, 2 of which because of COVID. It has been too long since everyone has travelled internationally, so being here and watching different performances, exchanging ideas with colleagues of different cultures - it’s amazing. Nothing can stop me from being part of the festival in the future!”
"Puppet Fantasy", Theatre Sangsahwa - Gyeonggi-do, Korea
Ko Kyumi (author, director, actress): „This is my first visit to Bulgaria. I have always wanted to participate in this festival, and it was like a dream. Now I’m here, at the “Golden Dolphin” festival and I’m very happy! Thank you!“
Sava Dragunchev, Chair of the Jury:
“This summer I received my invitation to be Chair of the Jury at the XVIII International Puppet Festival The Golden Dolphin. I will freely admit I was a little scared because I had a very strong connection to puppetry as a child, but not so much as an adult. Nevertheless, I accepted immediately - I owe this to Vera Stoykova, whose invite was impossible to refuse. All the artists here have made a huge impression on me: despite 2 years of COVID and 5 years since the last festival, they have grown in leaps and bounds. I’m not just talking about Bulgarian puppetry, but the Varna State Puppet Theatre specifically. Gathering so many different performances from around the world, all in different styles and with different traditions, and making it all a cohesive, well organised event - that is a huge challenge with no small potential for error. What we have seen at the festival is evidence that as long as we have important truths so share with each other, theatre will never cease to exist. If a performance is not genuine and the artist is not committed to it, it is always obvious to the audience. This is not the case here, it has been amazing! The audience is really interesting - children at the front and adults at the back. So my perception of each performance always goes through a “membrane” of children which is as brilliant as it is brutal - nothing that isn’t 100% genuine can pass! To watch these kids instinctively determine which performances are worthwhile and which ones aren’t has been fascinating. In fact, it has been fascinating to watch them determine which performances are worthwhile - simply because all of them are! I have never had to make more a difficult decision as a jury member. I believe all of the artists who participated should receive an award - in just a week, all of them have shared with us their very own important truths, and it has been fantastic to watch.”
The Festival is over! Long live to the Festival!
AWARDS 2022
Today, October 6th 2022, the international jury in composition:
Chairperson – SAVA DRAGUNCHEV - actor, director, teacher and translator
And members:
- SIMON WONG – director, Hong Kong
- OYA KERMANI – playwrither, Turkey
- MAYA PETROVA – stage designer
- KREMENA GEORGIEVA– music editor in BNR;
bestowed the following prizes:
Grand Prix (performances for children) - to the performance Through the Looking Glass – Musical adapted from the novel by Lewis Carroll by Varna State Puppet Theatre, Bulgaria
Grand Prix (performances for adults) – to the performance Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare by State Puppet Theatre - Almaty, Kazakhstan
Award for Master Artistic Realization of the performance Through the Looking Glass – Musical adapted from the novel by Lewis Carroll by Varna State Puppet Theatre, Bulgaria
AWARDS - PERFORMANCES FOR CHILDREN:
Best Original Music (for children) - Mihail Shishkov for the performance Jack and the Beanstalk (based on the English fairytale) by Sofia Puppet Theatre, Bulgaria
Best Music/Sound Design (for children) - Plamen Mirchev – Mirona for Pinocchio after Carlo Collodi by Ruse State Puppet Theatre, Bulgaria
Best Stage Design (for children) - Natalia Gocheva for Pinocchio after Carlo Collodi by Ruse State Puppet Theatre, Bulgaria
Best Costumography (for children) – Svila Velichkova for Through the Looking Glass – Musical adapted from the novel by Lewis Carroll by Varna State Puppet Theatre, Bulgaria
Best Supporting Actor (for children) – Hristo Petev for Tommy in the performance Pippi Longstocking after Astrid Lindgren by Yambol State Puppet Theater Georgi Mitev, Bulgaria
Best Supporting Actress (for children) – Svetlina Stancheva for the Fox in Pinocchio after Carlo Collodi by Ruse State Puppet Theatre, Bulgaria
Best Actor (for children) – Martin Pashov for Pinocchio in Pinocchio after Carlo Collodi by Ruse State Puppet Theatre, Bulgaria
Best Actress (for children) – Evgeniya Vasileva for the Red Queen in the performance Through the Looking Glass – Musical adapted from the novel by Lewis Carroll by Varna State Puppet Theatre, Bulgaria
Best Direction (for children) – Veselin Boydev for Jack and the Beanstalk (based on the English fairytale) by Sofia Puppet Theatre, Bulgaria
AWARDS – PERFORMANCES FOR ADULTS:
Best Music/Sound Design (for adults) – Nedim Yıldız , Legends of Korkut – inspired by The Legends of Dede Korkut by Tyatro Tempo - Ankara, Turkey
Best Dramaturgy (for adults) – Michael Taylor-Broderick for The King of Broken Things by Theatresmiths - Hillcrest, South Africa
Best Supporting Actor (for adults) - Shokhan Kulnazarov for Tybalt in the performance Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare by State Puppet Theatre - Almaty, Kazakhstan
Best Actor (for adults) – Haluk Yüce in Legends of Korkut– inspired by The Legends of Dede Korkut by Tyatro Tempo- Ankara, Turkey
Best Actress (for adults) – Cara Roberts in в The King of Broken Things by Theatresmiths - Hillcrest, South Africa
Best Direction (for adults) - Michael Taylor-Broderick for The King of Broken Things by Theatresmiths - Hillcrest, South Africa
and
DEBUT AWARD by the Union of Bulgarian Actors is bestowed to Ulan Assanbek and Ulpan Serik for Romeo and Juliet in the performance for adults Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare by State Puppet Theatre - Almaty, Kazakhstan
The Festival is realized with the financial support of Ministry of Culture, Culture Fund-Varna Municipality and National Culture Fund
