VietNam Life Style: staged

Monday, December 20, 2010

Variety show restages history

Mythic: A scene from Xin Chao! that tells the story of Lac Long Quan and Aâu Co (Dragon Father and Fairy Mother). The interdisciplinary production is being staged at the September 23 Park in HCM City. – Photo courtesy Xin Chao Company

HCM CITY — A narration of Viet Nam's mythical origins and history through dance, circus performances and martial arts is being staged at the September 23 Park in HCM City.

Xin Chao! (Hello), a production of the Xin Chao Art Performance Company, aims to offer foreign tourists to HCM City glimpses into the nation's culture and history in a new form.

The show is directed by American Laura Burke, who has written scripts for Hollywood films for 30 years and has lived in Viet Nam for eight years.

The 90-minute work features Viet Nam's mythological origins expressed though the story of Lac Long Quan-Aâu Co (Dragon Father and Fairy Mother) as also the valiant acts of national heroins Hai Ba Trung (Two Trung Sisters).

Fifty performers, including the country's top acrobats, martial artists and traditional and contemporary dancers will perform in the show that is being staged every night at 2 Pham Ngu Lao Street, District 1. Tickets at VND200,000 (US$10) for Monday through Tuesday, and VND400,000 ($20) for the remaining days of the week are available at the park. Admission is free for children under five. — VNS

Friday, September 24, 2010

Cafés becoming new rendezvous for HCMC drama lovers

Photo: Tuoi Tre

For Ho Chi Minh City coffee shops, serving just food and beverages is almost passé – the latest trend is to offer books, chess boards, and even theatrical performances.

Bet Cafe at 57A Tu Xuong Street, District 3, staged the first play three years ago and now at least five cafes do it though only two of them, Bet and Lit, advertise publicly and have a license.

The actors are usually amateurs or theater arts students who are yet it to make big stage, the owner of Bet Café, Thien Kiem, said.

“It took me a year of preparations and two more for trials to bring a drama stage inside a coffee shop,” she recalled. “I faced innumerable difficulties.”

Many of her friends considered it odd, she said.

The first obstacle was getting a license from the city Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

“My group of young performers and I were patient,” she told Tuoi Tre.

Under the law, all performances and drama scripts must get approval from local authorities before being staged.

Initially, Bet Café staged plays once a week before making it thrice a week on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays. Some show draw an audience of up to 100 visitors who enjoy food and drinks alongside the show.

“I like watching plays here as they are very realistic without props, lights, or special effects,” a customer said.

Some plays have become favorites at Bet Café -- Tinh Song Tinh Chet (Love Alive, Love Dead), Doan Tuyet (Breaking), and Sau Mot Con Dong (Aftermath of a Storm).

Kim said the café has a target of staging a new play every month.

At Lit Café, 3/13 Thich Quang Duc Street, Phu Nhuan District, plays are staged every Wednesday and Thursday.

At both places, visitors can also exchange ideas and talk to performers.

Theater cafes are becoming a place for young performers to test their skills while also earning a livelihood.

NNCK is a typical group. Hoang Minh Phi and Nhu Thao set it up out of their love for theater after failing to complete theater school.

VietNam Life Style