MARIETA Angelova is a clown, and she says that there is nothing in the world she would rather do - even though she considers this to be maybe the most difficult profession in the sphere of stage arts.

"It is so, because the clown is an odd character - he has to be liked by everyone, regardless of their age, gender, political inclinations. The clown is a genderless generalisation of all human experiences and passions," says Marieta, 42.

"The clown is as naive as he is wise; his basic quality is his childlike naivety; to be a clown one has to remain a child forever deep inside his soul," she says.

She gives as example that the clown may not know the laws of physics, may not know that if you let go an object it falls down to the ground, and he may check that a few times before he is sure about this.

"This is why children love clowns so much - because in them they discover themselves, their way of thinking; and at the same time the clowns are adults," she says.

Another difficult thing about being a clown is that one does not have the right to be sad. "He/she may play sad, but not feel it - because his role is to entertain people, make them laugh, even through his tears," Marieta says.

"Clowns wear different clothes from ordinary people, because they are different."

She says that the costume and the make-up help the actor as well - they liberate him/her, so that he/she can become a child again, can believe in what only a child can believe, and play the clown. "Being a clown is a calling, not just a job," says Marieta, then clarifies that she only means the good clowns - not the people that just rent a costume, put on a big red nose and decide that they immediately are clowns.

Clowns may have various abilities, which is what differentiates them from children - some can juggle, others can walk on a rope. She is a clown who can be a puppeteer.

Marieta's career path was determined from her childhood. As early as primary school she joined a puppet theatre school. She continued in high school with amateur theatre plays. Then she applied to the Bulgarian Academy for Theatre and Film Arts (NATFIZ) and was accepted immediately; she graduated as a puppet theatre director, in the class of famous Bulgarian theatre director Iulia Ognianova, who introduced to Marieta the profession of the clown.

After NATFIZ she was "assigned" by the state (in order the state to get back the money invested in that student) to work for five years as a puppet theatre director in the State Puppet Theatre of the Southeast Bulgarian town of Yambol. Simultaneously she completed a two-month specialisation at The International Puppet Institute of Charleville-Mezieres (France). During that time she performed at one of Paris's celebrated Guingol puppet theatres. There a French lady asked Marieta to join her in performing puppet shows at children's birthdays in Paris; Marieta refused.

"Neither then, nor now do I want to live and work abroad. At least not all the time," Marieta says.

But she had the idea. She only added some more details such as clowns, and she went for it.

"Two actors, a Trabant and a telephone - that was all when I started in 1991," she remembers.

Her company - "Marieta and Marioneta" - was officially founded in September the following year; a few days ago she and her colleagues celebrated the 14th anniversary.

""Marionette" is French for puppet; "Mariette et Marionnette" is a play upon words - it means Marieta and Marioneta (the puppet). According to Marieta, it is a good description of what she does, and makes an impression upon people, sometimes even confuses people, and this is fun.

"At the time we started, we were the first - actors, who went to people's homes to perform for the children's birthdays."

In 1998 she founded the first party club - especially for children's birthday celebrations. The company's activities now include puppet theatre shows, clowns' show, a party club of their own, and sale and rental of carnival costumes and accessories.

"The best about being a clown is the audience's gratitude, the children's joy. It is priceless. This is what keeps me as a person, as an actress, as a clown; it also keeps me young," Marieta says.

Being with children all the time helps her keep the childlike naivety, she says - through trying to be engaged only (or at least as much as possible) with her profession. "Naturally there are the daily problems, such as getting my car fixed, but I try to minimise their influence. I build my own world - a world of children and joy," Marieta says.

It is only natural that clowns love children.

"One of the worst things that can happen to me is to meet a grown up person who's too grown up, who has forgotten the simple joy that a single smile can bring to life. I sincerely pity such people," Marieta says.

"Such people are only interested in the material things, and see clowns as buffoons, as circus fools in the most negative sense. They do not understand the art of the clown - because they have forgotten what it is like to be a child."

In general, the clown is a universally liked character. Of course, there are exceptions; according to Marieta they are much more in Bulgaria than in France, for example, and she finds this indicative of the society as a whole.

"Bulgarians do not truly understand the clown's job, and tend to belittle it.

"Still, I have never considered changing my profession, nor I will voluntarily. I am a clown, a comedian deep in my soul," Marieta says. "I could never perform in a tragic role; in every show, in every play I subordinate everything to the clown's profession."