Growing up from a performing artist to a director of tuong, People's Artist Phan Van Quang always has a passion for spreading the love of tuong to the public, especially the young. Quang Nam Newspaper had a conversation with People's Artist Phan Van Quang to hear him talk about this.
Get into character
* With such a difficult art form as Tuong, after only 9 years - since the title of Meritorious Artist (in 2015), you received the title of People's Artist. Your struggle must have been very difficult?
- People's Artist Phan Van Quang : In the summer of 1987, I went to Tra My to visit relatives when the Quang Nam - Da Nang Tuong Art Troupe came to perform. I watched and immediately fell in love with the opera. At that time, I was in 12th grade but had passed the exam to join the Tuong troupe. However, because I was still young, I was not accepted. After a few more setbacks, I still decided to pursue the profession because I was so passionate about it.
From the beginning, I was fortunate to study and be selected as the main actor in historical plays such as: Le Loi, Nguyen Trai, Tran Hung Dao... That process forced me to learn a lot. I will never forget the gratitude of the teachers and colleagues who created conditions for me in performing. Therefore, having achieved the results today, I realize that I have the mission to teach the next generation to preserve the art of Quang Tuong.
* Born and raised in the hometown of Quang Nam, famous for the Duc Giao theater troupe (Que Son), with the "tuong opera missionary" Professor Hoang Chau Ky, do you think you also inherited this artistic source?
- People's Artist Phan Van Quang : I was born in Que Tho commune (Hiep Duc), perhaps that is why I partly inherited the "water vein" and "tuong genes" of one of the "cradles" of Quang Nam tuồng - Que Son mountain tuồng. This is also where many famous tuồng artists were born, including Professor Hoang Chau Ky (born in Que Loc commune, Que Son, originally from Hoi An). He is a monument of tuồng of the whole country, not just of Quang Nam - Da Nang.
Talking about him, we must say two words: admiration. He is a mirror for generations like us to look up to, learn from, strive to practice, and supplement knowledge.
* When playing the main role in a play, what do you usually prepare? As a Quang Nam native, how do you feel when playing a famous person from Quang Nam, such as Hoang Dieu?
- People's Artist Phan Van Quang : The first thing is to learn about the character. Where is he from, what is his background, what is his personality? When I took on the role of Hoang Dieu, I went to Hanoi to burn incense for him, to better understand the spirit of the military leader. When I played the role, I had to act in a way that made him stand out as a high-ranking official but also a filial son. Acting in Quang Nam also had to let people see his personality, to be moved, to exalt the image of an outstanding intellectual. To understand those characteristics, I took the trouble to research and collect more information from his family. On that basis, I found a way to transform into the character. That was also the way I approached getting into the role, living with my characters.
Multi-talented Tuong artist
People's Artist Phan Van Quang has won many national awards, such as: gold medal for the role of Thi Sach in the play "Trung Vuong" (2015); gold medal for the role of Tran Phong in the play "Nhu nhung tuong dai" (2016), gold medal for the role of Dong Kim Lan in the play "Son Hau", award for excellent actor in the role of Le Dai Cang in the play "Hoan Lo" (2020)... In nearly 10 years of directing, People's Artist Phan Van Quang has staged dozens of plays, such as: "Nang Tam", "Ruc lua hoang cung", "Nguoi sua moi doi". He is currently a lecturer specializing in teaching performing arts, analyzing works, theater history, and directing at many universities and colleges in Da Nang.
Variations but not "sow sesame and reap corn"
* What do young artists need to achieve success and recognition in the art of Tuong, sir?
- People's Artist Phan Van Quang : First of all, you must love your job. But first of all, you must have talent. A good Tuong actor must have "sound, beauty, maturity, spirit, energy, and spirit", in which "sound and beauty" must come first.
“Beauty” here does not mean physical beauty but the beauty of the character. In “Prime Minister Liu the Hunchback”, Liu Dung is not physically beautiful so the performance must show the beauty of the character’s soul. Regarding “voice”, one may not sing well but must speak clearly, with full words, and convey the character’s meaning.
I just hope that young actors who love their profession will live and die for it, and understand the value of this art. Tuong clearly shows the human personality of “benevolence, courtesy, righteousness, wisdom, and trustworthiness”, being a servant must be loyal to the end, being a friend must live meaningfully… That is what young people must remember to perfect themselves, not only when performing but also in life.
* Tuong art is inherently selective of its audience, especially the young are not very interested. Every time you perform in front of an audience, what do you usually think?
- People's Artist Phan Van Quang : I am sad because young audiences are not interested in the art of Tuong. Perhaps, because people do not understand Tuong literature, Tuong melodies are dry and not trendy like modern music. Sad because there are not many opportunities to perform like in the past because of small audiences, lack of motivation...
However, I always believe that one day Tuong will return to its rightful place. Participating in programs to bring Tuong to schools, I feel that students really like performing arts. That is also the light and belief for artists like us.
* You just mentioned the program of bringing Tuong into schools, so with a difficult art form like Tuong, what do you do to help students understand and feel Tuong?
- People's Artist Phan Van Quang : Depending on the age, the plays selected to introduce to students will have appropriate content. Performances for primary school students mainly create excitement and joy, such as the play "Hero of the Reed Flag".
In secondary school, we present plays related to characters such as: Luong The Vinh, Trang Quynh... As for high school, we perform plays criticizing bad habits in society such as "Ngheu So Oc Hen", about historical heroes such as: Trung Trac - Trung Nhi, Tran Hung Dao, Tran Binh Trong... Through that, students have a point of view to compare the art of Tuong with the difference in movies, especially the dialogue between the protagonist and the antagonist. From there, we lead students to understand and come to Tuong more.
* What do you cherish when bringing Tuong to young people?
- People's Artist Phan Van Quang : I hope that Tuong will become closer to the public. To do that, we need to adapt traditional art to make it easier for young people to understand. For example, plays written entirely in Chinese characters must be translated. Chinese Tuong works must be Vietnamized so that viewers can understand what the content is trying to convey and where it is leading people. I will do that!
Uncle Ho once taught that the plays of our ancestors were very good, "don't stay in the same place, but don't sow sesame seeds and reap corn." The art of Tuong must maintain its traditional roots but must be close to young audiences so that people can see the profound and good aspects of the plays, and see the truth, goodness and beauty in the art of Tuong, which is very specific to people.
* Thank you for the chat!
Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/nguoi-lan-toa-niem-dam-me-tuong-xu-quang-3145952.html
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