Prestigious awards will be at stage when some young upstarts take on veteran performers at the National Professional Tuong (classical drama) Festival that has opened in Danang’s Nguyen Hien Dinh Theatre.
Held every five years by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the one-week festival features a variety of performances and cultural activities by professionals, critics and fans.
Awards will be given away for the best play, best director, best scriptwriter and best actor.
This year the event has attracted 11 tuong troupes, mostly from Hanoi, HCMC, and Danang and the central provinces of Binh Dinh and Khanh Hoa.
The Khanh Hoa Provincial Traditional Drama Theatre, one of the central region’s biggest, broke new ground by staging a social play,
Tinh Doi Mong Manh (Faint Love), on present-day problems.
Directed by Giang Manh Ha, the play highlights the challenges urbanites face in preserving the country’s traditional values.
A group of veteran performers play leading roles in it.
The host city’s 40-year-old Nguyen Hien Dinh Theatre will have young artists in its historical titled
Doi Do (Moving the Capital).
The Hanoi-based Vietnam Tuong Theatre and the HCMC Tuong Theatre are pinning their hopes on old legends from their respective parts of the country.
The Vietnam Tuong Theatre’s
Huyen Tran Cong Chua (Princess Huyen Tran) is based on a popular 12th century story about the life of Princess Huyen Tran, daughter of King Tran Nhan Tong of the Tran Dynasty.
The HCMC Tuong Theatre’s
Dai Thien (God Memorial) is a very old tale of love and betrayal.
"To prepare for the festival, we have spent a lot of effort and money on the stage, costumes, and sound and light effects," Vu Tien Them, director of the Khanh Hoa Traditional Drama Theatre, said.
"We hope to draw theatre lovers back to tuong, one of the country’s three traditional arts."
Tuong originated in the 12th century in Vietnam and quickly became popular in the central region. A play consists of dance, song, and music performed by artists skilled in masquerade.
The festival will also have a forum attended by art and music researchers and critics like Tran Van Khe, Le Tien Tho, Hoang Chuong and Tran Bang.
It will discuss ways to preserve and popularise tuong among youth.
The festival will close on January 15.