[Photo] Wandering through dreams

The soul of That Theater in Nha Trang is the Life Puppets show - a unique art program that innovates the traditional Vietnamese water puppetry art. This show is considered by many to be a "must-see" when visiting the coastal city.

Alongside the magical stages of Puppetry is a world of sound created by the talents of young artists. The orchestra combines indigenous instruments to create a primitive and enchanting rhythm.

In the empty seats before the show, the artists diligently practice. Before transforming on stage, they spend hours sweating so that every movement and breath can become the most genuine language of emotional expression.

There are few theaters where the cast has to practice every day, even though the play has been performed regularly for 2 years. They edit, research, add new details and can put them into the official performance right away. They want their play to always be “alive” so that they can also live with passion.

The technique of controlling a bicycle connected to a tangram string puppet - a unique form of puppetry, requiring a harmonious coordination between physical strength, emotions and creativity. This is a technique that is almost unique to Dream Puppetry.

The artists of That Theater are mostly very young. If the theater was built with the clear purpose of serving the art of puppetry, the artists are an interesting mystery. Some are professionally trained, the rest are mostly from indigenous ethnic groups...

Although not formally trained, the flexibility, agility, and good physical awareness from traditional culture are the advantages of non-professional actors. Their innocence, simplicity, and inner strength have contributed to creating a unique spirit for Dream Puppet.

Before the opening, the artists held hands tightly, showing their determination. The theater always creates a close space for each individual to be nurtured, developed and attached for a long time.

Behind the colorful folk masks and brocade costumes, with homemade Vietnamese props, the artists recreate the images, rhythms and spirits of traditional cultural heritages in a vivid and creative way.

One of the factors that plays a decisive role in the play achieving the desired artistic effect is the specially designed stage of That Theater with multiple spaces: Water surface, air, land and screen.

Not only performing, young artists are reviving cultural memories - where national cultural materials are renewed through body language, music and contemporary theater, helping today's audiences feel the depth of Vietnamese identity.

“The feeling of seeing our ethnic culture present on the big stage and being welcomed by the audience is a source of great pride and emotion” - as a Cham ethnic, contemporary dancer Van Thi Ngoc Huyen had an impressive solo performance with a dance combining bamboo puppets in the shape of underwater snakes, originating from the legend of the Naga snake god.

The play has no dialogue, but only uses music, sounds and songs of the indigenous peoples. Through creatively exploited images, the play reflects life in a flexible, humorous but also meaningful way.

The stage of That Theater is not only a performance place but has become a space imbued with aesthetics, where folk cultural materials are delicately extracted and creatively recreated. It is a new milestone on the journey of Vietnamese theater affirming its identity in international exchange.

That artistic ideology is also what makes young artists love the theater and the play because each performance is a journey of discovery , not only about art but also about their own limits.

THUY NGUYEN - VU PHUONG

Nhandan.vn

Source: https://nhandan.vn/anh-lang-du-qua-nhung-giac-mo-post888864.html