site.bta13th International Festival of Humour, Satire to Take Place in Gabrovo from April 2 to 6

The 13th International Festival of Humour and Satire in Gabrovo will offer nine theatre performances from April 2 to 6, said the Gabrovo Drama Theatre on Tuesday. Theatre Director Petko Koychev emphasised that Gabrovo is the capital of humour and satire and that this event, which started in 1998, suits the town.

He pointed out that the biggest comedy stars visit the town every two years, including performances from the Czech Republic and Serbia. Koychev noted that there will again be side events, which are outside the competition programme. These include Georgi Toshev with his new book Tatyana Lolova from A to Z and a screening dedicated to Bulgarian actress Tatyana Lolova.

Koychev said that there will be two performances per day this year. The programme will begin on April 2 with the performance Laughter of the Heart, directed by Atanas Atanasov and staged by the Haskovo Theatre at the Gabrovo State Puppet Theatre. The second performance will be The Millionaire from the Yambol Theatre on the stage of the Gabrovo Drama Theatre.

On April 3, the Sofia Theatre will perform Perfect Strangers on the stage of the Emanuel Manolov House of Culture, and the Sofia Vazrazhdane Theatre will present Murderous Comedy.

On April 4, the Serbian play Love Adventures will be performed by the Pirot Theatre, while the Credo Theatre will perform Tortilla Flat together with the 199 Theatre. There will also be a special discussion dedicated to contemporary aspects of comedy and satire in the theatre.

On April 5, the Czech production Baron von Munchausen and Kamen Donev's latest play With Greatest Respect will be presented, as well as Toshev's new book and the screening dedicated to Tatyana Lolova.

On April 6, the festival will end with Passion Under the Elms by the Targovishte Drama Theatre.

Koychev noted that they were unable to receive funding from the Culture Ministry in 2024, and that the festival was organized in partnership with Gabrovo Municipality. "We have again submitted a letter to secure part of the funding, we hope that the festival will be assessed as something significant for Gabrovo and Bulgaria. The truth is that if for the second year in a row we fail to receive funding, we may not be able to cope. We will do everything possible to have a festival,” he stressed.