The 2024 National Cai Luong Theatre Festival has 33 competing plays, in which historical and revolutionary themes dominate. Notably, 12 non-public units are participating (in 2021, there were only 7 units).
Create a stage for young actors
Ho Chi Minh City has 12 competitive plays, of which 10 are from non-public units. Many of them have attracted audiences, such as “Tay Son Nu Tuong” (Sen Viet Stage), “Lam Son Hero” (Thien Long Company), “Nguoi ven do” (Song Viet Company), “Nguoi mang nine an tu” (We Entertainment Company), “Truyen tich Co Loa xua” (Bao Son Company), “Anh hung dat phuong nam” (Vu Luan Entertainment Company), “Liu vong – Khi tiet mot loi than” (Hong Lac Xuan Company)…
A scene from the Vietnamese historical opera "Lam Son Heroes"
It is noteworthy that the directors have invested in the young generation of actors, helping them shine through this festival. The Vietnamese historical plays that have been highly praised by the audience are: “The person carrying nine death sentences” (director – Meritorious Artist Hoa Ha) has taken care of Hoang Hai, Thy Trang, Thy Phuong; the play “The person on the edge of the city” further affirms the diverse transformation talents of Meritorious Artist Vo Minh Lam, Meritorious Artist Le Tu. Or artists Binh Tinh, Nguyen Minh Truong, Hoang Quoc Thanh once again affirmed their position as names loved by the audience through their good roles in the play “Tay Son female general”.
Another good sign is that some public units participate in 2-3 plays, such as Tran Huu Trang Opera House (“Gia Dinh Citadel’s Epic” and “Red Coral”); Dong Nai Art Theater (“Comrade” and “Sun and Moon Light”); Hanoi Opera House (“Xuan Huong Nu Si”, “Thousands of Miles for Her Husband”)…
Units in the Mekong Delta region in this competition have also invested quite thoroughly in the script, especially creating a stage for young actors so that through each play they can demonstrate their creativity better and better, reaching new heights in their profession.
Many plays have impressed the public, such as “Chat Ngoc – Cam Thi Giang” by Tay Do Theater (Can Tho City), “Nguoi con cua rung tram” by Long An Cai Luong Art Troupe, “Hao quang va bong toi” by Huong Tram Cai Luong Troupe – Ca Mau, “Sang mai vang nhat nguyet” by Cao Van Lau Theater, “Sau sau khi thang nang” by Dong Thap Cultural and Art Center, “Khi dong song noi rai” by Vinh Long Cultural and Art Center, “Truoc dong minh” by Bac Lieu Provincial Theater Association, “Doi hoa Rumdul” by Kien Giang Provincial Literature and Art Association, etc.
And the worries
However, the 2024 National Cai Luong Theater Festival still has many concerns from the Cai Luong art community. Besides the well-exploited and diverse Vietnamese historical plays and revolutionary themes, there are too few contemporary social plays that are close to today's life. This makes the plays lack the heat and appeal to attract young audiences to Cai Luong.
Some plays are of low quality, for example, the play “Chat Ngoc – Cam Thi Giang” is considered a series of staged scenes rather than a play with events, situations, and characters’ fates. Or the play “Canh Dong Bat Khuoc” was developed from a short play participating in the mass art movement, and was extended to compete. Or the play “Song Nguoc Giua Vuong Trieu” has a very simple plot, and the staging does not attract viewers.
According to experts, future festivals should also focus on the technical elements of the cai luong stage, avoiding situations like the play “Sông nước vũ vua Triều” when a curtain malfunctioned during preparation, causing the play to be delayed. Or like the play “Truyen tich Cổ Loa xua” where the sound system constantly malfunctioned, making the artists and audience impatient.
Unfortunately, the organizers have neglected to organize discussions after each stage of the festival. Accordingly, the art units sitting together to exchange, discuss, and seek innovative methods to make the cai luong stage better approach the actual needs of today's audience has not been possible.
Those involved are also concerned that this festival has not yet seen any improvement in terms of script writing, and there is still a lack of contemporary cai luong scripts. Many directors still use old-fashioned staging methods, with only People's Artist Trieu Trung Kien able to bring shadow puppetry into cai luong.
"Many art units still follow the old way of doing things, waiting until near the festival to prepare, resulting in low quality of scripts and plays" - Meritorious Artist Ca Le Hong expressed.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/them-dat-dien-co-hoi-cho-dien-vien-tre-196241113202814127.htm
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