International Puppet -Тheatre Festival
“Three Are Too Many, Two – Not Enough” & TheatAir

The International Puppet-theatre Festival was created in 1977 and was called “International Preview of the Puppet Miniature – Plovdiv”. In 1990, after an interval of four years, the festival had been resumed under the name “Three Are Too Many, Two - Not Enough”. Since 2012 the festival became a biennale and a new unit, “TheatAir”, for open-air shows, concerts and performance, had been added. Between 3rd and 7th September 2018, in Plovdiv, will take place the XXIII edition of the International festival “Three Are Too Many, Two - Not Enough” & TheatAir 2018.

ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF THE FESTIVAL

The Festival is organized by the Non-profit organization International Puppet-Theatre Festival “Three Are Too Many, Two - Not Enough” and State Puppet Theatre Plovdiv. It is carried-out with the support and under the patronage of the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture and the Municipality of Plovdiv. Other companies, association and non-profit organizations are welcomed as partners and co-organizers of the event. The Festival takes place in the first week of September on every two years, starting from 2012. The outdoor unit, “TheatAir”, may be an annual event, depending on the Festival’s budget. The funds for the organization and the implementation of the Festival are provided by: Plovdiv Municipality, Ministry of Culture, State Puppet Theatre Plovdiv, Sponsors, Donations, Joint Ventures, etc.

Aims of the festival

I. To encourage and develop the chamber puppet plays for children and adults.

II. To present the current tendencies in puppetry and the newest art achievments in the small form staging.
III. To present street performances, acts and shows, united in an additional open-air unit, “TheatAir”, which are created especially for open-air spaces and are reflecting the contemporary approach of artists, presenting working in direct contact with the audience at an unusual and improvised environment.
IV. To distribute in Bulgaria and abroad the best performances, presented at the festival.
V. To create a professional network of artists and managers from Bulgaria and abroad.

STRUCTURE

The Festival is organized by State Puppet Theatre – Plovdiv and non-profitable organization International Puppet thearte festival “Three are too many, Two – not enough” under the patronage of the Plovdiv Municipality, the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture and the Bulgarian Center of UNIMA. Other non-profit organizations are also welcomed to become co-organizers of the Festival. The festival is biennale and takes place in the beginning of September.

REGULATIONS

I. The Festival and the additional units are settled by an Organizational Committee, comprised by representatives of the Non-profitable organization IPTF “Three Are Too Many, Two – Not Enough” and the General Manager of the State Puppet Theatre Plovdiv. The Members of the Committee have the right to include in the working process, for cooperation and implementation of the Festival editions, the employees of the State Puppet Theatre Plovdiv, as well as, other organizations and individuals, according to the Festival’s budget.

II. Regulations:

1. The Organizational Committee sets the terms of the open call for selection of the applications for the festival programme.
2. The Organizational Committee approves for selection only the groups that had applied through the terms of the open call and chooses a Selector/s, who signs a contract with State Puppet Theatre Plovdiv.
3. The Organization Committee invites honourable guests of the festival - writers, directors, composers, stage-designers, journalists and well-known actors; sets the official guest-list, and frames the ceremony for the opening and the closing of the festival.
4. The “Organization Committee” makes protocols for all the financial decisions and handles them in the account office of State Puppet Theatre Plovdiv.
5. The festival is open to groups and theatres from Bulgaria and abroad.
6. Each theatre or group can participate with no more than two performances.
7. The candidates should send their filled-in application form via e-mail and/or by post no later than 19 January of the year of the festival, together with full-length recording of the shows through web-link or on CD/ DVD/ flash-stick, high quality digital photos and full technical rider and requirements.
8. Only small-scale performances /with up to 4 actors/ are included in the selection. The Selector preserves right to include in the festival selection performance/s which are and exception of that regulation.
9. The performances in the festival are divided into the two categories - competitive program and off-program. All the shows in the TheatAir unit are in the off-program. The performances of State Puppet Theatre Plovdiv are in the off-program.
10. TheatAir unit is open for groups from Bulgaria and abroad and for it the limitation for up to 4 actors does not necessarily apply. It is not in the competitive program and aims to use the open public spaces and urban zones to promote the broad range of puppetry and to intrigue wider audience.
11. TheatAir can be an annual unit, depending on the budget of the festival. The content of the module is open to respond to the latest practices in puppetry.
12. The Festival covers the expenses for accommodation and meals. The transportation expenses are covered, by priority, by the participating theatre. The financial conditions for the foreign participating groups are subject to personal negotiations according to the budget of the festival. This is valid also for the supporting event.
13. The income from the performances, played during the Festival, remains for State Puppet Theatre Plovdiv. The performances and shows in the programme of TheatAir are free of charge for the audience and the participating groups receive a contracted fee.
14. State Puppet Theatre Plovdiv pays the required copyright percentage to the creative team of the performances in case of registered income and on presenting a copy of a valid contract with Copyright Company.