The theatre has 50 years history.

More than 300 performances for children and adults by Bulgarian and foreign authors have been produced on its stage.
State Puppet Theatre – Stara Zagora is a repertoire theatre at state financing. The theatre has at its disposal a separate building, stages /the basic one and an open-air stage/ and ateliers, enabling effectively its activity. It is a leader between the puppet theatres with its artistic and financial results.

The participation in national and international forums of puppetry art and the numerous prizes in the past years are significant for the high level and the professionalism of the creative team:

• 1998 І prize of The Union of Bulgarian Actors for technical realization of the performance “The Little Elf”, director Slavcho Malenov
  
  
• 1999 International Puppet Festival “The Golden Dolphin”- awards for dramaturgy, set design, music and acting for the performance “Wilm The Long Nose”, director Ivan Raykov
  
  
• 1999 The Award of “Open Society - Stara Zagora” for “Outstanding achievements in the field of culture”
  
  
• 2000 International Puppet Festival “Prague – The European Capital of Culture 2000”- award for best acting troupe for the performance “Wilm The Long Nose”, director Ivan Raykov
  
  
• 2000 Presenting the performance “Wilm The Long Nose”, director Ivan Raykov at the International Puppet Festivals in Tolosa and Alicante – Spain.
  
  
• 2000 The Award of “Open Society - Stara Zagora” for outstanding achievements in the field of culture – for the establishment and the realization of the І International Puppet Theatre for Adults Festival “PIERROT” 2000
  
  
• 2001 Presenting the performance “The Little Elf”, director Slavcho Malenov at the World Festival of Puppet Art – Prague
  
  
• 2001 The award for “Experimental and new forms” for the performance “Shadows in the night”, director Biserka Kolevska on the ІІ International Puppet Theatre for Adults Festival “PIERROT” 2001
  
  
• 2002 Presenting the performance “Shadows in the night”, director Biserka Kolevska at the International Festival for Puppet Art in Istanbul
  
  
• 2003 Presenting the performance “Snow-white and the seven dwarfs”, director Ivan Raykov at the festival “Puppeteers of America”, Tahlequah, Oklahoma, USA. State Puppet Theatre is a member of the union of the Puppeteers of America.
  
  
• 2004 The Special Prize for puppet art for the performance “Stories from the long gone past”, director Petar Pashov at the International Children’s Festival in Banja Luka, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  
  
• 2005 Presenting the performance “Snow-white and the seven dwarfs”, director Ivan Raykov at the Summer Festival in the Centre for Puppetry Arts – Atlanta, Georgia, in Boston and at the festival “Puppeteers of America” in Saint Paul, Minnesota, USA
  
  
• 2005 The “Stara Zagora” Award  for outstanding achievements in the field of culture for the realization of the performance “Insomnia”, directors: Zheni Pashova and Petar Pashov
  
  
• 2005 Award for best direction at the National Festival “Michael Lakatnik” – Yambol for the performance “Stories from the long gone past”, director Petar Pashov
  
  
• 2005 Award for “Perspective young troupe” at the ІV International Puppet Theatre for Adults Festival “PIERROT” 2005 for the performance “Insomnia”, directors: Zheni Pashova and Petar Pashov
  
  
• 2006 Participation of State Puppet Theatre – Stara Zagora in the First Balkan Arts Market for Staging Arts – Thessaloniki, Greece
  
  
• 2006 Presenting the performance “Insomnia”, directors: Zheni Pashova and Petar Pashov at the ХХVІ Festival for Puppet Art in Pilsen, Czech Republic
  
  
• 2006 Award for puppet art for the performance “Wilm the Long Nose”, director Ivan Raykov at the International Festival in Kotor, Montenegro
  
  
•  2007 The “Ikar” award for puppet art of The Union of Bulgarian Actors for the performance “Baron Munchausen”, director – Slavcho Malenov
  
  
• 2007 The award of the Ministry of Culture for outstanding achievements for creation and disseminating  theatrical production
  
  
•  2007 The “Stara Zagora” award for outstanding achievements in the field of culture
  
  
• 2007 The award for best original interpretation; the award of the children’s jury and the  award of the Holland jury at the International Puppet Festival “Two are less, three are many” – Plovdiv 2007 for the performance “Baron Munchausen”, director – Slavcho Malenov
  
  
• 2007 The award for best acting with the performance “The King Stag”, director Petar Pashov at the V International Puppet Theatre Festival for Adults “PIERROT” 2007
  
  
• 2008 Presenting the performance “Beauty and the Beast” , director Petar Pashov at the ХХІІІ International Festival for puppet art in Bialsko Bjala, Poland
  
  
• 2009 Award for staging of PhD Slavcho Malenov, Award for best acting of Delyan Kyosev for it’s part as the dwarf - the master of the blind alley, Second prize of the Holland Jury for best performance
  
  

State Puppet Theatre – Stara Zagora is a host of International Puppet Theatre for Adults Festival “PIERROT”.
International Puppet Theatre for Adults Festival “PIERROT”

The festival’s program is a synthesis of puppet performances for adults, workshop, theoretical seminars in art management, movie-panorama of cartoon movies, dissemination of the performances in the region, exhibitions of paintings, cartoons, and plastic arts.

Detailed information about the festival “PIERROT” is published in magazine “THEATRE” - issue number 10-12, 2005 and issue number 1-2, 2006, in the American journal for puppetry art, in the German and Dutch press. The Bulgarian National Television has created and broadcasted two 30-minute movies, dedicated to the festival.

State Puppet Theatre – Stara Zagora each year is a host of the International Laboratory for Directors. The Laboratory is designed for young directors, actors, stage designers, play-writers and others, who want to improve and enlarge their creative instruments in the field of puppet art for adults.

State Puppet Theatre – Stara Zagora offers an opportunity to actors and directors to continue their education. The basic laboratory’s aim is to research the creative process not necessarily pointing at the final result, which frees the artistic imagination and the creator’s potential and enhances the development of their professionalism.