In fall 2022, Margarita traveled to Indonesia on a project that included:
• Performances of Unfolding at the Pesta Boneka International Puppet Festival
• Touring the show in Central and Western Java on a tour organized by the American Embassy, Jakarta.
(The tour ended with two performances of Unfolding at the @america center in Jakarta, ALBUM 1 / ALBUM 2)
• Teaching workshops in OBJECT THEATRE (at the Pesta Boneka Festival in Yogyakarta and Satya Wacana University in Salatiga) and a SHADOW THEATRE workshop at @america in Jakarta.
• Engaging with Indonesian artists and exploring theatre forms:
- At Papermoon Puppet Theatre, Margarita participated in a workshop, attended rehearsals, observed the theatre’s artistic and puppet making process, and taught a performance workshop for the company.
- Margarita studied wayang kulit (shadow puppetry) with 4th generation dalang, Ki Catur Benyek.
- Margarita attended numerous traditional and contemporary theatre performances.
Margarita's month-long exploration of Indonesian theatre forms and her work with Papermoon Puppet Theatre Company was supported in part by a NET/TEN grant from Network of Ensemble Theatres.
The presentation of Unfolding at Pesta Boneka International Puppet Festival was funded in part by the 2022 Allelu Award Travel Grant from The Jim Henson Foundation.
In 2019, Margarita was awarded an Individual Fellowship from the Asian Cultural Council.
Margarita’s fellowship activities included:
• Participating in the Traditional Theater Training in Kyoto, where she studied Nihonbuyo (traditional dance) with Yayoi Wakayagi and Kotsuzumi (traditional drumming) with Yasuko Hisada and Naoko Takahashi.
• Studying Otome Bunraku (Women’s Puppetry) with Yoshida Mitsuka in Osaka.
• Attending the Iida Puppet Festival in Iida.
• Attending rehearsals and engaging with PUK Puppet Theatre in Tokyo.
• Attending rehearsals and exploring Kuruma Ningyo (cart puppetry) with Hachioji Kuruma Ningyo Troupe and Koryu Nishikawa V in Hachioji.
Japan activities were completed with the support of the Asian Cultural Council Individual Fellowship.
In 2017, Margarita traveled to Izmir, Turkey, with a project that included:
• Performances of Unfolding at the Izmir Puppet Days International Puppet Theatre Festival.
• Teaching a workshop in Object Theatre as part of the festival programming.
Participation in the Izmir Puppet Days festival was supported by the Mid Atlantic Arts Foundation USArtists International grant
Margarita’s artistic engagements in the U.K. include:
• Studying Lecoq-based devised physical theatre at Embodied Poetics.
• Teaching “Magic Objects” workshop for Embodied Poetics summer workshop series.
• Learning leather mask making with Alfredo Iriarte.
• Teaching an introductory puppet theatre course for adults at Little Angel Theatre.
• Participating in the round table discussion “Old Masters, New Makers” as part of the Little Angel Theatre’s Suspense Puppet Theatre Festival.
Margarita grew up and studied in Bulgaria. She cherishes Bulgarian culture, history, landscape, and traditions and values her education at the National Academy for Theatre and Film Arts.
She continuously searches opportunities to engage with Bulgarian artists.
Margarita’s activities in Bulgaria include:
• Collaborating with scenographer Natalia Gocheva on Margarita’s production The Rule of the World.
• Collaborating with scenographer Dimitar Dimitrov on Margarita’s productions Unfolding and The Crane Wife.
• Collaborating with Bulgarian scenographer Svila Velichkova (With the support of the Theatre Communications Group Global Connections On the Road grant.
• Developing a new production vision with scenographer Hristina Stoilova for the puppet theatre play Where Are You Going, Little Horse? by renowned Bulgarian playwright Rada Moskova.
• Collaborating with scenographer Hrsitina Stoilova on Margarita’s MFA productions – Where Are You Going, Little Horse? And The Ragged Princess
Collaborations with Bulgarian artists were completed with the generous support of TCG.
