Previously, seeing the familiar motorbike parked against the wall of the entrance to the office of the Small Stage Drama Theater meant that author Le Duy Hanh was present at the Ho Chi Minh City Theater Association.
Leave a legacy
Artists who have been involved in the activities of the Ho Chi Minh City Theater Association all feel a sense of emptiness whenever they mention author Le Duy Hanh - the steadfast captain who steered the city's theater ship steadily through the waves.
Because, 25 years have passed, the familiar image of a motorbike and a small figure, every day he has gone from his private home (in a small alley on Dien Bien Phu street) to the beloved "5B" common house of stage artists.
On September 6, 2023, author Le Duy Hanh left the stage, going to the eternal realm of memories. Although those who remain may have lost their grief, memories of him are still deeply present in the memories of many people.
Three of his scripts received the State Prize for Literature and Arts in 2001, including: "Bui Thi Xuan Hoi Ket Cuoc", "Mat Troi Dem The Ky" and "Troi Nam" are all good and valuable works; every year in competitions to find young talents for the stage, contestants in the South and the North all use these scripts to compete.
People's Artist Tran Minh Ngoc said that author Le Duy Hanh is strong in all four "fields": hat boi, cai luong, drama and script genres for one actor, which are plays such as: "Tam su Ngoc Han", "Drama alone", "Queen of two kings", "Vua thanh trieu Le", "Chiec ao thien swan", "Hoa doc trong vuon", "Doi do", "Night monologue", "Tro ve mien nho", "Noi dau nhan loai"...
"In 25 years as the association's leader and also as an author, he has contributed to building a spacious theater house, leaving a great legacy for generations of artists" - People's Artist Tran Minh Ngoc acknowledged.
Author Le Duy Hanh in the live show "Southern Melodies" by Meritorious Artist Thanh Sang
The torch lights the way
Author Le Duy Hanh was born in Tay Son, Binh Dinh. As a student in Saigon, he studied very well. In 1972, he was selected to go to the US to get a doctorate. But instead of going abroad, he went to the war zone and was sent to the North to study. After 1975, he asked to return to the South to work and published a collection of memoirs. Then, he suddenly turned to the theater industry and remained attached to this art form until the end of his life.
People's Artist Le Thuy recalls: "In 1980, the first script by author Le Duy Hanh was "Tam su Ngoc Han", staged by the Ho Chi Minh City Performing Arts Troupe, unexpectedly becoming a theatrical phenomenon. At that time, Meritorious Artist My Chau as Ngoc Han, Tuan Thanh as Nguyen Hue suddenly shined with impressive singing and acting styles. In just a few years, the play reached 700 performances, a dream number for many troupes."
According to experts, regardless of style or form of expression, author Le Duy Hanh's writing style is sharp, rich in courage with creative perspectives, and all of his works capture the public's passion.
Meritorious Artist Thanh Thanh Tam, one of the artists who received his guidance and support, confided: "Author Le Duy Hanh has encouraged me a lot in my career, giving me many lessons from the stage to life. It can be said that he is a torch that lights the way for the young generation of artists, directors, and authors to follow."
In the field of Ho Chi Minh City theater, author Le Duy Hanh has contributed greatly to the work of nurturing young human resources, who today have become the mainstay stars of many socialized theaters such as: Thanh Loc, Hong Van, Minh Nhi, Quoc Thao, Ai Nhu, Thanh Hoi, My Uyen, Trinh Kim Chi, Ngoc Trinh...
Author Le Duy Hanh has also promoted the effective development of many stages in Ho Chi Minh City, from the Tran Huu Trang Award, to the Autumn Stage Festival and the Ho Chi Minh City Comedy Stage Festival. He also accompanies, encourages, and supports artists, authors, directors, painters... so that they can strive to create, bringing profound human values through each work.
Author Le Duy Hanh (3rd from right) always takes care of and cares for the elderly artists at the Ho Chi Minh City Artists' Nursing Home.
With the socialized stage, author Le Duy Hanh became the "red elder brother" of this model - typically the Ho Chi Minh City Small Stage Drama Theater (5B Vo Van Tan). In the huge repository of scripts that he left behind, there are still countless handwritten scripts that his family is preserving. Among these, there are many scripts reflecting social life, which have not yet been exploited and staged.
Remembering author Le Duy Hanh, those who love the stage, admire the heart and talent of a captain who devoted his whole life to the "stage sea" will feel in every beat of the stage every night, still hear the vibration from the compassionate heart that he advised the next generation to always do the job properly, seriously aiming for the noble values for Vietnamese art.
On the occasion of the 1st anniversary of the death of author Le Duy Hanh, the Theater Association and the Writers Association introduced 2 books: "Collection of Cai Luong scripts by author Le Duy Hanh" (The Theater Publishing House under the Vietnam Theater Artists Association) and "Le Duy Hanh - Memory: Collection of works" (The Writers Association Publishing House).
Meritorious Artist Thanh Loc said that in the 1980s, young directors trained at the School of Stage Arts II (now the Ho Chi Minh City University of Theatre and Cinema) graduated but no art unit accepted them. So the Ho Chi Minh City Theatre Association established the Experimental Theatre Club (at 5B, Vo Van Tan, District 3, also known as Stage 5B). As general secretary, Mr. Le Duy Hanh created a "living space" for young directors who had just graduated at Stage 5B. This stage introduced many new artistic styles from staging to ideological themes, attracting public attention.
After that, the Ho Chi Minh City Theater Association organized the first experimental theater festival, which was famous nationwide, followed by the second with the participation of art units from the North. It can be said that the success of the 5B theater model had a great contribution from Mr. Le Duy Hanh. From here, young directors had the opportunity to promote their creativity, and new director names appeared: Tran Canh Don, Kim Loan, Phu Hai, Minh Hai, Hong Van...
"I was lucky to be an actor at the small stage 5B for 10 years. Thanks to the training, my acting skills developed comprehensively. If we talk about the person who has contributed to the development of young directors and actors, and the development of their creativity, then it is none other than Mr. Le Duy Hanh. We always remember him as a brother in art" - Meritorious Artist Thanh Loc was moved.
People's Artist Huu Danh said: "I am a Tuong opera artist, with a passion for writing plays. It was teacher Le Duy Hanh who taught me, was strict, enlightened me on every word, every rhyme, and even the ideological theme, so that I could compose and stick with the profession. After that, I won many awards for Tuong opera scripts, all thanks to my teacher."
Source: https://nld.com.vn/tac-gia-le-duy-hanh-nguoi-cua-mien-nho-196240803211022414.htm
Comment (0)