Alarming concerns about the quality of the theater festival.

The 2024 National Drama Festival – organized by the Department of Performing Arts, in collaboration with the Vietnam Association of Stage Artists, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Thai Nguyen province, and the Viet Bac Folk Music and Dance Theatre – concluded on June 26th in Thai Nguyen City, Thai Nguyen province.

Attracting an audience

Chairman of the Arts Council, People's Artist Tran Ngoc Giau, believes that the greatest success of the 2024 National Drama Festival is the audience. The Viet Bac Folk Music and Dance Theatre ( Thai Nguyen City, Thai Nguyen Province) was almost completely full during the festival days. Notices indicating no seats available were frequently posted in front of the theatre. Images of audience members watching plays on screens in front of the theatre and the enthusiastic applause added to the vibrancy of the festival.

A scene from the play "Two Mothers" by Trinh Kim Chi Theatre (Ho Chi Minh City) - a play that won a silver medal at the 2024 National Drama Festival. (Photo: TRINH KIM CHI THEATRE)

Another highlight of this year's festival was the participation of many veteran artists who remain passionate and dedicated to the stage. There were performances that ignited the audience's emotions, such as "White Night" (Vietnam National Drama Theatre), "The Circle of Betrayal" ( Hanoi Drama Theatre), and "Catching the Demon" (Hai Phong Drama Troupe)...

There are still many concerns.

However, the festival still has many issues that need to be examined, from the scripts to the staging. The festival brought together nearly 1,000 artists and actors from 19 professional and private art organizations, but public opinion questioned why a spoken drama festival allowed Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera) actors to participate. Could this laxness be intended to allow actors from any field to "hunt" for medals in the awarding process?

The festival aims to discover and honor outstanding groups and individuals in the field of theatrical art; it provides an opportunity for theatrical art units to nurture a new generation of artists and actors; and it offers artists and actors a chance to exchange experiences, learn from each other, hone their knowledge, and improve their professional skills and the quality of theatrical performances to serve the people. However, the investment and preparation for the performances have been neglected, resulting in too few new scripts and a near absence of scripts about contemporary life.

Insiders argue that the theater scene is severely lacking in real-life reflections and pressing social issues. Is this situation due to a shortage of writers, or a creative team avoiding contemporary problems? The theater is gradually losing its function of reflecting reality and foreshadowing future events.

Despite being a national-level festival, most of the submitted scripts were outdated, some dating back to the 1980s; none originated from scriptwriting workshops, and scripts by young authors were scarce. Few scripts addressed pressing social issues of today; some plays lacked creativity in stage design; and many plays did not adequately invest in musical elements.

Experts hope that state management agencies from the central to local levels will soon accurately assess the current state of theatrical arts, promptly introduce new operating methods and solutions to overcome existing shortcomings, and promote the development of theatrical arts in accordance with the realities of social life.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/bao-dong-ve-chat-luong-cua-lien-hoan-san-khau-196240628202436079.htm