The national tour comes in response to the strong interest in this unconventional method of teaching financial literacy—through theatre.

The innovative performance “Money Carousel” will be presented by a student theatre group from Kuzma Trichkov Secondary School, Vratsa, in four cities across the country. The first stop of the tour is Veliko Tarnovo on 5 November at 6:00 PM in the Grand Hall of the Municipality. On 6 November, the host city will be Ruse, where the performance will take place at the Lyuben Karavelov Regional Library starting at 1:00 PM. On 7 November, the play will be staged in Varna, in the hall of the Tourism High School, starting at 2:30 PM. In early December, “Money Carousel” will also be presented to audiences in Montana.

The national tour, organized by the Financial Literacy Initiative Foundation and NN Bulgaria, responds to the growing interest in this unconventional approach to financial education—learning through theatre. The premiere of “Money Carousel” took place on 17 March 2019 in Sofia and was met with exceptional interest and many smiles from young audiences and their parents. During the first half of 2019, the play was successfully performed in schools in Sofia, Kazanlak, Vratsa, and other cities across the country.

The play follows the everyday life of a group of students and, through their conversations, situations, and songs, introduces basic knowledge about personal finance. The young heroine Ani gives up insisting that her father buy her a castle after learning about and discussing family expenses. Two original songs were specially created for the production and are performed by the young actors from the Vratsa school.

The theatre production “Money Carousel” is part of the innovative financial literacy programs “About Money and Other Important Things” of the Financial Literacy Initiative Foundation, implemented with the support of NN Bulgaria. The play represents a non-traditional educational approach based on the concept of a “lesson-performance.” Through it, students move beyond the role of passive participants in the learning process and become its driving force—as creators, musicians, and performers. In this way, through the creative process, they learn about money and the important things in life.

“Our goal with the tour is to reach more people—to reach the hearts of children and parents. We want to show them that life skills, such as managing one’s finances, can be learned in a fun and engaging way. Only through emotional involvement can sustainable behavioral models be developed. This is extremely important when it comes to financial literacy, because managing personal finances is directly linked to our behavior,” said Rositsa Vartonik, Executive Director of the Financial Literacy Initiative Foundation.

“We are satisfied to be implementing this project because it provides knowledge and builds a model of responsible behavior and care for personal finances from an early age—an important prerequisite for a fulfilling life for every individual,” said Nikolay Stoykov, Chief Executive Officer of NN Bulgaria.

More information about the “Money Carousel” tour and the innovative financial literacy programs “About Money and Other Important Things” can also be found on the Facebook page of the Financial Literacy Initiative Foundation.