Bulgarian artistic director, playwright and critic. Yordan Todorov worked for twenty years as Artistic Director of the Durzhaven kuklen teatur Varna (State Puppet Theatre Varna). He is author of twelve books including two novels. He has written two dramas and ten puppet plays, among them Zlatka Zlatnoto Momiche (Zlatka the Golden Girl), Papagalcheto Pai (Pie, the Parrot, a dramatization of Oscar Wilde’s Slaveiat i Rozata, The Nightingale and the Rose). Many of his plays have been staged abroad.

Yordan Todorov’s name is associated with the foundation in 1970 of the International Puppet Festival, The Golden Dolphin, held in Varna every three years. The festival is organized by the State Puppet Theatre Varna. The first edition of the festival was held in 1972. Initially, the primary objective of the festival was to encourage Bulgarian playwriting for the puppet theatre: participating productions could only perform Bulgarian plays produced by both Bulgarian and foreign companies. But in the 1980s, this condition was abandoned, and today the competition is open to plays from foreign authors as well as Bulgarian. The Grand Prix of the festival is The Golden Dolphin Award.

Yordan Todorov is the recipient of awards for his works, including The Golden Medal of the Union of Bulgarian Actors, and Honorary Artist awards for achievements in the field of culture, which he received in Bulgaria, Poland, and other countries.

(See Bulgaria.)