A new twist on an old art

HCM CITY — Tran Huu Trang Theatre's cai luong (reformed theatre) shows offered old stories in a modern style for HCM City theatre fans during Tet (Lunar New Year).

One of the shows featuring the play Da Chien Pha Song Ngan (Fighting on the Ngan River) describes parents' love and sacrifices for their children.

The work, written by Nam Chau, has been staged many times, attracting veteran performers such as Thanh Sang, Kim Tu Long and Phuong Lien.

In the version rewritten by Nguyen Thanh Chau, Tran Huu Trang invited young director Vu Minh to offer something new for fans.

Minh asked his young actors, including Trinh Trinh, Vo Minh Lam, Thanh Loan and Hoøng Quyen, to work hard to create a new style of cai luong singing and dancing.

He used beautiful clothes as well as light and sound effects to dazzle audiences.

"During the previous Tet, we often staged plays featuring social problems in a modern style to meet young fans' demands," said Phan Quoc Hung, director of the theatre.

"But this year we decided to provide a very old style of cai luong helping youth discover the music's nature," he said.

The VND500 million (US$22,000) play's financial success showed that Hung and others had made a wise decision.

During the Tet holiday, several thousand people visited District 5's Thu Do Theatre to discover the beauty of cai luong. The tickets have sold out for the next month.

In District 1, Kim Chau Stage introduced a series of extracts from famous plays like Hoa Moc Lan Tong Chinh (Mulan Enlists in the Army).

The play, directed by Tran Ngoc Giau, featured cai luong stars Vu Luan, Tu Suong and Thanh Thanh Tam.

Luan and his younger colleagues also performed Ong Tao (Kitchen God), a comedy featuring dances and songs based on traditional legends.

"We will travel to remote areas in the Cuu Long (Mekong) River Delta region to stage our shows next week because we want to entertain poor farmers and children who have fewer entertainment choices than their urban counterparts," said Luan, one of the city's most talented performers.

"Most of our shows in the city offer tickets at VND150,000- 500,000 each. They cost only VND10,000 for people who live in rural areas," he said.

Like other traditional art troupes, Hung's theatre receives about VND1 billion from the Government to run the company.

"We face many challenges in offering a stable income to our performers and staging quality plays," Hung said.

He said he hoped that local companies and organisations would offer more financial support to the city's traditional music troupes. — VNS

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Ha Noi theatres fail to attract sponsors

Hats off: A scene from the drama Changing Feelings by the Tuoi Tre (Youth) Theatre, one of only a handful of successful theatres in the north. — VNA/VNS Photo Tran Thanh Giang

HA NOI — Theatres in Ha Noi have been finding it difficult to get sponsorship or support themselves through ticket sales without funding from the State – unlike their southern counterparts.

The Culture, Sports and Tourism Ministry has said theatres in the north would no longer be part-subsidised by the State from the end of this year, but few have succeeded in finding alternative funding.

Theatres have been criticised for failing to attract large audiences because of poor-quality scripts and in adequate facilities.

According to Le Tien Tho, deputy minister of culture, sports and tourism, theatre owners were inexperienced at attracting audiences or promoting themselves – which is another reason for their failure to find private funding.

Theatres have found it harder than cinemas to co-operate with private or other sectors to do business," he said.

Tho added that even successful private theatres in HCM City, such as IDECAF and Phu Nhuan Drama Theatre, had succeeded in only finding short-term investment – from the artistes themselves.

"They will need long-term investment to stay open," he said.

Tho also said that even though the majority of Viet Nam's most popular theatrical artists lived in Ha Noi, their shows still struggled to attract local audiences.

Some theatres in the capital have succeeded to some extent in going private, such as the Kim Ma Cheo Theatre, Ha Noi Cheo Theatre and Thang Long Puppetry Theatre.

The Ha Noi Cheo Theatre, on Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street, one of the first small stages to open in Ha Noi, is popular with both local residents and foreign tourists.

Tuoi Tre Theatre, which stages performances at Thanh Nien Cinema, almost always succeeds in attracting an audience of 150 for each show.

The Thang Long Puppetry Theatre and the Central Puppetry Theatre also manage to attract decent-sized audiences.

Meanwhile, the Ha Noi Cai Luong (Reformed Opera) Theatre has attracted enough sponsorship to stage free performances. Before each show, company representatives are urged to sponsor the theatre.

The Central Pop Music Theatre used a 3,800sq.m plot close to Hoan Kiem Lake to set up a so called "Space for Vietnamese Culture". It hosts musical events and exhibitions. It is also home to the Luc Thuy Restaurant and a souvenir shop.

Artistes can rent out space to put on shows, said Tran Binh, director of the theatre.

The Ministry has hailed the work of the Youth and the Central Pop Music theatre as models in finding alternative fundings.

Meanwhile, in HCM City, successful venues include the Small Stage 5B, on Vo Van Tan Street, which is run by the local artists' association; Sai Gon Drama, which is run by Phuoc Sang Entertainment; IDECAF, run by Anh Duong Company; and Phu Nhuan Drama Stage, owned by Van Tuan Company. — VNS

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Puppets get anniversary spirit

Puppet love: Artists from the Viet Nam Puppetry Theatre enact how Thang Long, now Ha Noi, was established.. — VNA/VNS Photo Nhat Anh

HA NOI — Hon Khi Thang Long, or the Sprit of Thang Long, was the theme of the second International Puppetry Festival at Ha Noi Opera House on Saturday night.

Writer Le Thi My Ha directed the show, which reflects the history, culture and traditions of the Thang Long Royal Citadel.

Based on the spirit of the ancient Viet people and performed by artists from the Viet Nam Puppetry Theatre, it uses a dragon to show how Thang Long, now Ha Noi, was established.

Four women played traditional instruments to reflect Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.

Vietnamese artists performed Con Vit Xau Xi (The Ugly Duckling) based on Dane Hans Christian Andersen's children's stories.

Puppeteers from 12 countries have joined five of Viet Nam's puppet troupes for the six-day festival that will continue until Thursday.

Performances will continued at the Hong Ha Theatre, 51 Duong Thanh Street; the Viet Nam Puppet Theatre, Truong Chinh Street; the Thang Long Puppet Theatre, Dinh Tien Hoang Street and Cinema 17, Ly Nam De Street.

The festival is held every two years and the troupe adjudged the best will win US$1,000. — VNS

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