Invest heavily in hit scripts.

The Vietnam Association of Theatre Artists is stepping up its efforts to invest in the creation of high-quality scripts to supply to theatre organizations nationwide.

Enduring vitality

During the "Artists and the Stage" panel discussion on September 20th, organized by Ho Chi Minh City Television with the theme "Contemporary Stage Issues," People's Artist Trinh Thuy Mui - Vice President of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations, and President of the Vietnam Stage Artists Association - stated that Vietnamese theater is facing a decline in script quality; while scriptwriting workshops are still being held, less than 30% of the scripts are actually used.

Dr. Bui Nhu Lai, Head of the Theatre Department at the Hanoi University of Theatre and Film, believes that the solution to improving the situation where "less than 30%" of scripts from writing camps are used is for authors to focus on core human values ​​in their scripts. Contemporary life urgently needs scripts with content about how people interact with nature, interpersonal relationships, and how people interact with their surroundings...

"Looking back at the history of our national theater, we have had renowned writers and playwrights such as Nguyen Huy Tuong, Nguyen Dinh Thi, and Luu Quang Vu… Why do their works have such enduring vitality? Because the values ​​they aimed for were humanistic values, addressing issues concerning humanity, humanity connected to its time… These contents, no matter how many years pass, still retain their value," emphasized Dr. Bui Nhu Lai.

Regarding solutions to the shortage of Vietnamese historical scripts, People's Artist Trinh Thuy Mui said that in the near future, the Vietnam Association of Stage Artists will invite historians to participate in thematic discussions and exchanges to help young authors grasp the historical spirit of each period, better understand national heroes, and choose their own perspective for their writing.

"When reenacting historical stories, the creator has the right to use fiction. However, they must not distort the history of the nation and the age-old traditions that make up the sacred soul of Vietnam," said People's Artist Trinh Thuy Mui.

Playwrights from Ho Chi Minh City visit the "Saigon Commando" Museum.

Change your creative mindset.

Experts believe that one of the reasons for the scarcity of popular scripts is the lack of investment, leading to a shortage of plays that reflect contemporary life.

Author Nguyen Thi Minh Ngoc shared her personal experience: "I have worked with Hoang Thai Thanh Theater for many years, and the most important thing is to meet and exchange ideas regularly. Only then will the ideas for scriptwriting be closely related to the stage and real life. I wrote 10 scripts for Hoang Thai Thanh Theater, of which 3 had to be abandoned at the last minute. The reason was that the scripts had many flaws that needed to be strengthened and revised. Failure in writing is common. If you invest carefully, you can still have good and popular scripts."

Meritorious Artist Ca Lê Hồng added: "To have a good script, a script that will be popular, you have to invest. But investing isn't just about pouring money into a script; you need to invest in training young writers, nurturing middle-aged writers, and commissioning works from established authors."

Recently, the Vietnam Association of Theatre Artists, in collaboration with the Department of Performing Arts, has been organizing experimental international theatre festivals every three years. The goal of these festivals is to provide opportunities for domestic creative forces to learn from world art, thereby changing their creative thinking towards a more modern direction.

Recently, the Authors' Association of the Ho Chi Minh City Theatre Association organized field trips to visit and learn about historical sites in the city, thereby gaining more vivid material to create high-quality scripts about contemporary life from the perspective of the nation's glorious history.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/van-nghe/doc-suc-dau-tu-nhung-kich-ban-an-khach-20230920213708062.htm