Puppet theater festival starts in Baku

By AzerNews

The second international puppet theater festival opened in Baku with a solemn ceremony on November 9.

The festival is co-organized by Azerbaijan`s Ministry of Culture and Tourism, International Puppet Theaters Association (UNIMA), and Azerbaijan State Puppet Theater after Abdullah Shaig.

It will present performances of leading puppet theaters from several countries in different genres that are of interest to both children and adults.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism Adalat Valiyev said the festival was organized under "The Azerbaijani Theater in 2009-2019" State Program.

Valiyev said a number of works would be staged in Azerbaijan State Puppet Show after Abdullah Shaig, Azerbaijan State Russian Drama Theater after Samad Vurgun, and State Theater of Young Spectator as part of the festival.

Jacques Trudeau, Secretary General of International Puppetry Association, highlighted the activities of the organization which groups puppet theaters from 87 countries.

The festival will feature performances of Azerbaijan State Puppet Theater after Abdullah Shaig and Gakh State Puppet Theater, as well as theaters from the United Kingdom, Japan, Italy, Bulgaria, Croatia, Switzerland, Hungary, and Tatarstan with some 12 performances..

The second puppet theater festival will last until November 16.

Puppet theaters from the UK, Italy, and Switzerland will have performances on November 11, and 13. Tickets are available at the city's box offices.

The festival is also expected to host master classes which will be conducted by professionals from world-famous puppet theaters.

The first International Puppet Theater Festival was held in Baku in November 2011, after which Azerbaijan became a member of the UNIMA.

Azerbaijan will host a congress of the International Theater Institute under UNESCO in 2014.