Annual report on the activities in 2012

REPORTACT – UNIMA, Bulgaria

on the 2012 activities

Dear Mr. General Secretary,
Dear Members of UNIMA,
Dear Friends,

In the past few years ACT-UNIMA Bulgaria has gained the authority of a serious organization committed to the life of the art of puppetry thanks to the high professionalism of its Executive Council. It has often been a partner to the government in the resolution of important problems related to the on-going reforms in the Bulgarian legislation in view of its synchronization with the acuis communautaire. At the General Assembly session held after the UNIMA Congress in Chengdu, China a new Leading Board was elected as follows:

1. Mr. Petar Pashov, President 
2. Mrs. Katya Petrova, Vice President 
3. Mr. Darin Petkov 
4. Mr. Victor Boychev  
5. Mr. Dimitar Dimitrov 
6. Mrs. Hristina Arsenova, counselor 
7. Mr. Ivan Raykov, National Secretary and counselor 

The official address of the Center is:AKT-UNIMA, Bulgaria14 “General Gurko” str., Sofia - 1000, BulgariaPhone and Fax: +359 2 987 72 88e-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it  

MEMBERSHIP 

At present the number of the members is 115, including almost all the state and municipal theatres with their artistic groups, as well as individual members. However the fact of a trend we have registered toward a decrease in the number of members causes anxiety. This should be subject to serious analysis of the situation and developing measures for maintaining the membership.

FESTIVALS

Numerous international and nationals are organized in Bulgaria, and a good part of them are supported by the state in the face of the Ministry of Culture and the municipal authorities. ACT – UNIMA Bulgaria has taken the decision to endorse four of them, specially oriented at the art of puppetry and having proven their significance and prestige in time.

1. "The Golden Dolphin" - a three-annual International Puppet Festival. Take place from 1st to 6th of October in the town of Varna.
2. "Puppet Fair" – International Festival for Street and Puppet Theatre - a biannual organized by Sofia Puppet Theatre every second September.
3. "Pierrot" - International Puppet Theater Festival - a biannual for adults organized by State Puppet Theater - Stara Zagora in the end of every second September.
4. "Two are too few, three are too many" – International Festival of the Chamber Puppet Theatre Forms organized by the State Puppet Theater - Plovdiv every second September.
All these forums are very important for the development of the art of puppetry in our country and we are proud of them.

DISCUSSIONS AND THEORETICAL CONFERENCES 

After the Congress in Chengdu, China our Centre organized a discussion of the Congress results and the failed candidacy of Sofia to host the next session of the Council in 2014. The conference was held in the framework of the International Puppet Theatre Festival PUPPET FAIR in Sofia and was attended by both members of the former Executive Committee of UNIMA in the face of Mrs. Livia Kroflin and of the newly elected Ida Hledikova. Measures were planned for activating the international performance of the Bulgarian UNIMA Centre and for closer cooperation with the national centres of other Eastern European countries. 

In 2013 during the International Adult Festival “Pierrot” in Stara Zagora the Bulgarian UNIMA Centre will celebrate its 50th anniversary. Along with that the festival will host the annual meeting of the women’s committee. 

WORLD PUPPETRY DAY

In 2012 the council of the puppet theater directors bestowed for the 4th time the SIVINA award for young actor (after the name of a renowned family of puppeteers in the country). The award is given every year on 21 March, the World Puppetry Day.

Another initiative of ACT–UNIMA Bulgaria is the special award of our Centre for overall contribution to the field of puppetry, bestowed every year at an official ceremony organized by the Union of the Bulgarian Actors on 27 March, the International Theatre Day. 

JOURNAL AND PUBLICATIONS 

Due to the permanent scarcity of funds for the time being the art of puppetry journal KUKLARK is currently published once a year. Our ambition as publishers is to make the journal more communicative by searching for opportunities to have a larger portion of the articles translated into English. In this way it will reach a larger public abroad and inform more people of the situation and problems in the Bulgarian puppetry.

Analyzing the situation of contemporary art of puppetry in Bulgaria we could state that in spite of the serious difficulties the Bulgarian puppet theatre is alive, vibrant and full of energy and has enormous creative capacity.