Encourage the creation of high-quality works that reflect contemporary life.

The 2024 National Drama Festival is taking place in Thai Nguyen City with the participation of nearly 1,000 artists and actors from 19 professional domestic and non-public Drama art units eligible to participate. The festival takes place from June 11 to June 26 with 23 plays promising to bring to theater lovers unique and special art products of the Vietnamese performing arts.

Time Wharf - a play participating in the 2024 National Drama Festival

Recently, the Festival's regulations have caused controversy because of the regulation "Do not use scripts written before 2005 and foreign scripts. In case a script written before 2005 has been edited to suit the present, the author's (or legal representative's) consent must be obtained to be allowed to participate in the festival". This regulation makes theater lovers very confused and ask: First, why was 2005 chosen as the time frame? Second, why not use foreign scripts? Third, what is editing to suit the present?

Sharing with us, People's Artist Tran Ly Ly - Acting Director of the Department of Performing Arts (NTBD) said: The 2024 National Drama Festival is an annual activity, held every 3 years. Each time it is held, the Organizing Committee will issue a set of Regulations including the Organization Regulations and the Judging and Awarding Regulations. The Regulations are all built on the basis of previous Festivals, in which there will be assessments, lessons learned and if necessary, the content will be adjusted to suit the reality.

The regulations for organizing the 2024 National Drama Festival are also built in that spirit. The regulation "not to use scripts written before 2005 and foreign scripts" is included in the content of the 2021 National Drama Festival Regulations. The aim is to encourage art units to focus on building high-quality works that breathe contemporary life. We hope that drama art units will promote their advantage as a key genre of theater, build political works, and go straight to the current issues of current life.

Explaining the use of the 2005 timeline as a basis, People's Artist Tran Ly Ly said: "The use of the 2005 timeline as a basis for art units to select participating works is because it is the year marking the birth of the 2005 Convention voted to pass by the UNESCO General Assembly. This Convention has come into effect and has become the inspiration and legal basis for promulgating legal regulations and policies to protect and promote diversity in cultural expression," said Ms. Ly.

Regarding the appearance of two works written by literary scriptwriters before 2005, namely "The Soul of Truong Ba in the Butcher's Body" (Viet Nu Stage) and "White Night" (Vietnam Drama Theater), according to People's Artist Tran Ly Ly, the two plays "The Soul of Truong Ba in the Butcher's Body" and "White Night" participating in the Festival, the art unit has had a confirmation record from the author or the author's legal representative submitted to the Organizing Committee in accordance with regulations and these two plays are eligible to participate in the Festival.

"The Organizing Committee accepted these two plays because the issues raised in the script are not old and these units, when staging, have made adjustments and improvements so that the script is not outdated and is consistent with the way of speaking and thinking of modern life. The regulations set out in staging scripts by domestic authors are also not beyond the desire of the team of authors as well as the artistic force to venture into current topics and key areas of today's life" - People's Artist Tran Ly Ly shared.

Regarding the regulation that "actors playing the main and secondary roles participating in the festival must be those who have received professional training or have participated in performing drama continuously for 3 years or more in an art unit with legal status", People's Artist Tran Ly Ly affirmed that it is also not outside the purpose of encouraging and creating conditions for artists who love their profession and regularly have professional activities.

The play White Night was entered into the Festival even though the script was written by author Luu Quang Vu more than 50 years ago because of its contemporary nature.

"The attachment and stability of actors in the units also creates the brand of that unit, avoiding the situation of borrowing artists just to compete to win prizes and medals.

The 2024 National Drama Festival is a regular activity organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for domestic and non-public art units with legal status. We still inherit this regulation from the 2021 regulations. Moreover, for students at cultural and artistic schools, they have their own playground such as the student talent contest at national cultural and artistic training facilities regularly organized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for many years," informed People's Artist Tran Ly Ly.

According to the Acting Director of the Department of Performing Arts, after each art festival, the organizing committee always hopes to receive positive feedback from management agencies, media units, creators as well as artists directly participating in order to gain experience and make appropriate adjustments for the following festivals.

Even during the festival organization process, unexpected risks or incidents may occur. Based on the actual situation, the organizing committee will also report to the leaders of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism for consideration, decision and appropriate adjustment./.

Source: https://toquoc.vn/quy-che-lien-hoan-kich-noi-toan-quoc-2024-khuyen-khich-xay-dung-nhung-tac-pham-chat-luong-cao-mang-hoi-tho-cuoc-song-duong-dai-20240613164327038.htm