12/10/2025
Dear Friends and puppet theater lovers,
As of January 2026, our travelling puppet theater will start performing shows in English in the Chicagoland area. I will take this moment to introduce us and say a few words about our history.
Harlequin Improv & Storytelling can always come to YOU! It is designed to be a travelling puppet theater and most of our plays can travel to schools, libraries, community centers and daycare centers. However, some of our shows are designed for stage performances - so to enjoy those shows with the full effects, we invite the audience to come to us.
The puppet theater was created by Dari Bourgas in 2013 and has served the Bulgarian community in Chicagoland ever since then, being the only puppet theater that performs plays in Bulgarian language. During that time, the theater has done stage performances of classic fairy tales, as well as our own stories. We have done improv shows and shows that are designed with a first sentence from the audience. We have also performed for adults.
This year (2025) we have started performing shadow theater - our first play was "The Snow Queen" - a shadow puppet show based on Hans Christian Andersen's beloved fairytale. The show is currently running in Bulgarian language, and will start running in English for the Chicagoland kinds in January 2026.
We have several different types of shows and initiatives that will continue to be part of our repertoire in English as well. Here is a brief overview:
- Shadow plays based on classic fairy tales, as well as stories authored by Dari Bourgas - for children
- Traditional puppet shows with hand puppets, rod puppets or marionettes based on classic fairy tales - for children and adults
- Shadow plays for adults fully authored and designed by us (NEW & coming up in 2026!)
- Improv shows from a first sentence by the audience
- Improv shows with live participation from the audience throughout the show
As you can see, we are very versatile in our creations, so there is no telling where Harlequin Improv & Storytelling will take you next! We believe that everything in the world is a story, and we are committed to telling those stories in a way that speaks in the language of the heart.
Our website will be up and running soon and we are very excited to be able to share our passion with the English-speaking communities of Chicagoland!
HAPPY HOLIDAY SEASON!
