Tbilisi Puppet Theatre stars at Bulgarian fair

People in Bulgaria's capital Sofia are invited to see an award-winning play by the Tbilisi State Puppet Theatre within a special festival involving puppet groups from Europe and beyond.

The Sofia Puppet Fair 2016 will feature companies from 14 countries including Belgium, France, the United States and Bulgaria. Georgia was also invited to take part in the fair, which will take place from September 16-22.

The Tbilisi State Puppet Theatre will present its play The Lullaby's Power at the international festival. The troupe’s show won the Grand Prix award at the 2015 Unima International Festival of Puppet Theatres in Yerevan, Armenia.

See a preview video for the Tbilisi State Puppet Theatre's play 'The Lullaby's Power' below:

The non-competitive festival is organised by the local Sofia Puppet Theatre in collaboration with local and state cultural agencies and institutions.

The event aimed to "create a varied and high quality program of performances" and "promote modern trends and artistic quests" in puppet theatre productions, said its organisers.

The puppet festival was first held in 2002 and will this year celebrate its 9th edition.

The Tbilisi State Puppet Theatre is recognised at home and at international festivals for its productions on a range of topics and audiences ranging from child to adult viewers.

Tbilisi State Puppet Theatre perform the play 'The Lullaby's Power' in Tbilisi. Photo from Nana Nadiradze/Tbilisi State Puppet Theatre.

Earlier this year the Tbilisi-based troupe presented a play based on true stories from survivors of the June 13, 2015 flood that ravaged central Tbilisi. The disaster claimed 22 lives and the deaths of hundreds of animals from the capital's zoo.

The Tbilisi State Puppet Theatre also launched a project allowing people with disabilities to take part in various forms of puppetry through the troupe's everyday life.