Around a hundred children took part in the final performance of the Children’s Theatre School in the village of Shiroka Laka on Saturday afternoon. Some were from Shiroka Laka, from the ever-diminishing orphanage (children are nowadays fostered instead of being placed in a single large institution), some were from the nearby towns of Smolyan and Devin, and some came from orphanages and schools much further afield. The performance followed nearly three weeks of arts workshops with the children.

An audience of around 300 watched performances that included flamenco dancing, Rhodopean bagpiping, singing and dancing, yoga, music, martial arts and the presentation of two folk tales, one Bulgarian and one African.

The Children’s Theatre School is the main annual activity of the Artists for Children foundation, directed by Bulgarian theatre director Elena Panayotova. Artists for Children provides children at risk (very often Roma children) with extra-curricula educational activities that involve the arts, seeking to build confidence, discipline and skills, as well as to provide fun, and to combat prejudice.

Elena Panayotova

LLP Group is the main sponsor of the Children’s Theatre School.