In the season behind us, we celebrated a noteworthy anniversary—65 years of professional work and creativity!

Along with the premieres of the plays “The Tale of the Fisherman and the Fish,” “The Lonely Tree,” and “Cinderella,” we also began production on the play “A Little Love Fairy Tale.” We participated in festivals in Bačka Palanka, Podgorica, East Sarajevo, Belgrade, Vranje, Niš, Zaječar, and Aleksinac, winning seven awards from expert and children’s juries.

We also received the “Golden Anima – Radoslav Lazić” award for our contribution to the development and promotion of puppet art and tradition! We performed in Leskovac, Ražanj, Gadžin Han, Knjaževac, and Pirot.

The season was also marked by the project “Increasing Energy Efficiency of the Puppet Theater Building,” financed by the City of Niš and the European Union through the Local Development Program – EU PRO Plus, and implemented by the Office for Local Economic Development. The project involved the reconstruction of the heating, cooling, and ventilation systems in our theater, as well as the provision of equipment for live streaming performances. Workshops were held for younger elementary school students on the importance of environmental preservation and energy efficiency, resulting in drawings, paper puppets, and written works that served as the foundation for the play “The Lonely Tree.” This project is of exceptional importance to our theater, our audience, and our city. We thank everyone who recognized its significance, supported it, and helped implement it for the benefit of current and future generations of viewers.

We will also remember this jubilee season for the 54th gathering of professional puppet theaters in Serbia, which we hosted. The event brought together around 150 participants and guests from the country and the region, while more than 1,500 children and adults attended the festival program.

We held numerous puppet workshops, interacted with preschoolers and elementary school students, participated in numerous projects by other institutions and associations, and took part in many city events. During the renovation of the heating, cooling, and ventilation systems, we performed shows every Sunday at our regular time of 11:30 AM on the plateau in front of the theater building. The play “The Story of Water” marked its 100th performance. Congratulations! At the very end of the season, we also celebrated our 66th birthday!

Dear audience, collaborators, friends, many important and beautiful things were done and happened in the season behind us. Thank you to everyone who was with us and by our side! We look forward to everything that lies ahead in the new season. Until then, enjoy the summer wherever you may be! Best wishes from your puppeteers!