The Canterville Ghost: State Puppet Theatre - Plovdiv, Bulgaria

Based on Oscar Wilde

At the end of the 16th century, Sir Simon Canterville died under rather mysterious circumstances. From then on, his evil spirit wreaks havoc and fear until the Otis family buys the Canterville estate and decides to make a decent home out of this desolate place because “anything can be fixed with a decent amount of money”! The pragmatic, modern man meets the ghosts of the past. And if their chains squeak too much, there’s always a solution in some ad – good enough detergent, good enough promotion. Is there a way for the generations to meet and accept each other? Is there a way to respect without fear? And if we are asked, can we step back and pay homage to the past? The Canterville Ghost rattles its chains for 500 years to prove that there is a point to his existence, until he meets Virginia Otis, who turns his mind around with a pure, childlike question: “Is it worth it?”

Recommended age: 10+

Duration: 60 min.

Team

  • Dramatization and Directing: Elitsa Petkova
  • Stage design: Ivaylo Nikolov, Iva Gikova
  • Puppets: Ivaylo Nikolov, Iva Gikova
  • Music: Plamen Petkov
  • Cast: Stayko Staykov, Elin Stoyanova, Velizar Evtimov, Natalia Vasileva, Lambretti Kolev, Viliana Dimitrova, Daniela Ruseva
  • Photos: Alexander Bogdan Thompson

Schedule

About

Plovdiv State Puppet Theatre was founded in 1946. It is a repertory theatre, financed by The Ministry of Culture and supported by Plovdiv Municipality and is praised with the First Degree Award “Cyril and Methodius”. In 2025 the theatre made its 78 theatrical season and during these years more than 360 titles had been presented. Every year about 5 new new performances are produced and played in front of no less than 40 000 spectators. Plovdiv State Puppet Theatre had toured in more than 40 countries, taking part in many international festivals and is a laureate of more than 80 prestigious awards. Six of the performances of the theatre are included in the “Golden Fund” of the Bulgarian National Television.