Du Ke Stage is always welcomed by the people.
Du Ke is also known as Lakhon Bassac, which means the Khmer drama in the Bassac River (Hau River) region. I have had the opportunity to watch Du Ke performed many times. Despite the language barrier, through the dances, the rhythm of the music and the attentiveness of the people sitting around the stage, it is enough for us to feel the attraction of this art form to the Khmer people living in the Southern region. It is very real and close like the breath of life. The themes and scripts of Du Ke are very rich and highly educational. The plays all have a spirit of benevolence, praising the good and the beautiful, condemning the evil and the bad, and always have a happy ending. The costumes in Du Ke are colorful. If it is a traditional play, the prince wears a crown with 2 stork feathers; the witch wears a lower crown, but under the crown is a round scarf and is painted with a butterfly with fangs. The female actors wear bracelets on their wrists and ankles. Therefore, just by looking at the makeup, you can immediately tell whether the character is good or evil. Playwright Thach Mu Ni (Deputy Head of the Ethnic Minorities Committee of Tra Vinh province) said: “The Du Ke theater genre has many advantages, because in addition to its own characteristics, it also accepts the quintessence of other arts, creating cultural exchanges with the quintessence of the arts of the Kinh, Chinese, and countries such as India, Indonesia, etc. The content of the Du Ke theater script both expresses classical and folk themes and contemporary social themes. From this advantage, the Du Ke theater is very popular with the Khmer people in the Southwest region.” Ms. Thach Na Vy, an actress of the Khmer Art Troupe of Soc Trang Province, who has been involved in the Du Ke stage art for nearly 20 years, said: “When I was young, I had a chance to learn about Khmer dances, so when the Khmer Art Troupe of the province recruited actors, I participated in the audition and was selected to join the Troupe until now. Every day, the actors and artists are always enthusiastically practicing to prepare well for the performing activities to serve the people, especially during the dry season every year. Although it is hard, everyone is very excited because they have been able to do the things they love and are passionate about, striving to fulfill their roles and complete their tasks well when standing on stage to serve the people.”
A scene from the play “The Calm Ocean” by the Khmer Soc Tran Art Troupe
The top priority task Currently, the national intangible cultural heritage of folk performing arts and Du Ke stage art is facing many difficulties, but Khmer art troupes when performing Du Ke in ethnic minority areas always receive enthusiastic response from the people. Mr. Luu Thanh Hung, Head of the Khmer Art Troupe of Soc Trang said: "In order for the activities of the Troupe to become better and better, to be in order, and to keep up with modern trends, we direct the content of artistic activities to go into depth, to meet the enjoyment needs of many subjects, effectively serving political tasks to improve the level of enjoyment of art for the people. Invest in building high-quality song - dance - music - Du Ke works, actively foster many artistic talents to professionalize and perfect the team of young actors and musicians". Mr. Huu Trung, Head of the Khmer Art Troupe of Ca Mau province, said: “There are not many people left who write scripts, stage plays, and master the melody… in each Du Ke play. Stage a Du Ke play is not easy, it takes a lot of effort and time. Currently, in Ca Mau, only the Khmer Art Troupe of Ca Mau province and the Big Drum Music Club in Ho Thi Ky commune (Thoi Binh district) still practice regularly and perform on festivals, to arouse the love of audiences of all ages for this art form”. Preserving and developing the Du Ke art is one of the top priorities in Project 6 implemented by the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ca Mau province. Mr. Tran Hieu Hung, Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Ca Mau province said: “First of all, to preserve, maintain and develop Du Ke art, we must prioritize investment in human resources. We encourage the establishment of mass art clubs among the Khmer ethnic group to both preserve traditional art culture and promote Du Ke art. At the same time, we create conditions for professional and non-professional forces to go on field trips and exchange experiences with Khmer art troupes in the Mekong Delta region. In addition, we regularly select talented children for specialized training, creating a new generation of successors.”Nearly a century of formation and development of the Du Ke theatrical art form has had a strong influence on the cultural and spiritual life of the Khmer people. Although Du Ke is currently facing difficulties with scripts, the force of actors and musicians is old, and the successor generation is quite rare, there are still many dedicated artists trying to preserve the unique artistic features of Du Ke for future generations.
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