Between Past and Present: The Canterville Ghost Opened “PIERROT” 2025

Director: Elitsa Petkova
Dramatization: Elitsa Petkova
Scenography: Ivaylo Nikolov, Iva Gikova
Puppets: Ivaylo Nikolov, Iva Gikova
Music: Plamen Petkov

Cast: Stayko Staykov, Elin Stoyanova, Velizar Evtimov, Natalia Vasileva, Lambreti Kolev, Viliana Dimitrova, Daniela Ruseva

 
Between Past and Present: The Canterville Ghost Opened “PIERROT” 2025
The days of anticipation for one of my favorite festivals have passed — and here comes September 23rd: the warm, approaching autumn and the square in front of the Puppet Theatre in Stara Zagora filled with familiar, smiling faces. This is my second edition of the International Puppet Theatre Festival for Adults Pierrot, and once again the feeling is of a true celebration. The first festival day was joyful, with fascinating exhibitions from the parallel program and plenty of inspiration for the days ahead.

The competition program opened with The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde, directed by Elitsa Petkova and staged by the State Puppet Theatre – Plovdiv. The classic novella came to life on stage with striking scenography (Ivaylo Nikolov and Iva Gikova) and a powerful visual impact: the performance skillfully combines Gothic mystery, humor, and contemporary highlights.

At the heart of the production lies the clash between old and new, between past and present. Sir Simon Canterville, doomed to wander for five centuries as a restless ghost, confronts the pragmatic American Otis family, for whom even fears can be “cleaned up” with the right detergent. Behind the irony, however, the performance raises deeper questions: can we learn to face the past without fear, to honor what came before us, and to find the strength to forgive? The Canterville Ghost reminds us that fears are just masks that lose power when we look them in the eye — and that sometimes it is childlike purity and sincerity that open the path to reconciliation.

I cannot fail to mention Elin Stoyanova’s performance as Virginia. She is the quiet center of the show — the luminous honesty that “loosens” the chains of fear. She plays without unnecessary gestures, so that her “childlike” question resonates not as naivety, but as insight. In her presence, the stage softens: fear turns into compassion, irony into humanity. Stoyanova finds the precise balance between lightness and depth; her movement, voice, and gaze shape Virginia as a bridge between her family’s pragmatic world and Sir Simon’s melancholic one.

The production is a bold, visually rich start to the festival. True, at times the weight of the story feels overloaded, and the attempt to modernize through the “advertising” character doesn’t always pulse with the rhythm of the stage, but the impressive scenography and measured acting highlights transform the ghost’s home into a living organism, whose breathing naturally draws the audience in.

A wonderful start to this year’s festival!

Written by: Zhaklin Dobreva
Photos: Teodora Todorova