After half a month of exciting performances (from November 15) in 4 provinces and cities: Hanoi , Ninh Binh, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, the 6th International Experimental Theatre Festival has attracted more than 1,000 artists from nearly 30 professional international and Vietnamese theatrical art units to participate, with 19 experimental theatrical plays by domestic art units and 8 works by international art units.
In her closing speech at the festival, People's Artist Trinh Thuy Mui, President of the Vietnam Stage Artists Association, affirmed: Experimenting in stage art is to find something new, something that we have never done before or may have done but have not succeeded or failed in the creative process. Whether it is failure or success, it is useful for the management team and those who directly create stage art because they are invaluable lessons that open up a new path, a path that has both fragrant flowers and sweet fruits as well as thorns.
According to the Chairman of the Vietnam Stage Artists Association, the 6th International Experimental Theatre Festival in 2025 has helped Vietnamese and international stage artists have quiet moments to contemplate and look back at themselves, thereby finding new things in the art of scriptwriting, directing, acting, fine arts, music , and other supporting elements to renew the stage based on the foundation of traditional values in the stage arts of each country.
“I have heard some foreign artists share that they have learned many interesting things from Vietnamese stage art. I hope Vietnamese artists can also learn a lot from the creativity of their international colleagues,” People’s Artist Trinh Thuy Mui expressed.
Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Phan Tam said that this year's International Experimental Theatre Festival takes place at a particularly important time: Vietnam will implement the Politburo's Resolution on cultural revival and development, identifying culture as the spiritual foundation, soft power, and driving force of sustainable development. At the same time, Vietnam is also implementing Resolution No. 59-NQ/TW on comprehensive international integration, which emphasizes the role of cultural diplomacy, people-to-people exchange, and enhancing mutual understanding between nations and peoples.
In that context, the festival has a greater significance than an art event, because it is a meeting point between cultures, where they share common values of humanity; demonstrating Vietnam's spirit of openness and proactive integration in the field of performing arts; at the same time contributing to building friendship, peace, and respect for cultural diversity, in the spirit of cultural diplomacy that Vietnam is persistently pursuing.
“The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will continue to accompany and create favorable conditions for Vietnamese theater to develop strongly, preserve its identity but constantly innovate, deeply integrate while still firmly upholding Vietnamese values,” Deputy Minister Phan Tam emphasized.
Evaluating the artistic quality of the festival, Dr. Nguyen Dang Chuong, Chairman of the festival's Jury, commented: Up to now, most authors have structured their scripts according to traditional methods, but in this festival, some authors have broken the rules and experimented with their own path. Many scripts are structured in non-traditional, experimental ways, posing questions to the audience, sometimes illogical and irrational, with the desire to create new and strange emotions for the audience.
Notably, most directors have abandoned the realistic method in handling stage space and tried to take full advantage of and exploit the conventional space. Some directors have experimented with the method of integrating and blending traditional and modern Vietnamese art forms in the same work...
Overall, this is the festival with the most participating units ever. The presence of 10 theatrical genres is the material that creates the richness and diversity of the festival, helping the festival become a multi-colored picture containing the creative aspirations of artists through experimental methods and forms.
However, according to Dr. Nguyen Dang Chuong, the festival also revealed the backwardness in experimentation in artistic creation of Vietnamese theater: The creative team is in crisis in both quantity and quality; more experimental scripts appear but the number of good scripts is still too modest... However, whether the experiment is successful or not, artists still need to continue to commit, preserve national identity and strive for the values of truth, goodness and beauty.
At the Closing Ceremony, the Organizing Committee honored two excellent works and plays, namely "Which Night Is Tonight" by the Tram Hoa Ancient Fish Theatre Troupe of Shandong Province, China and the play "The Man in Rubber Sandals" by the Vietnam Drama Theatre.
6 Gold Medals were awarded to the plays: “Universe” (Creative Theatre Research - Mongolia), “The Legend of Pipa” (Viet Kiem Troupe of Thuy An city, Zhejiang province - China), “Beneath the moon” (Hong Van Drama Theatre), “Green frog dream” (Hai Phong Traditional Theatre), “Hung-backed carrying poles” (Ninh Binh Traditional Arts Theatre), “Tam Cam” (Thang Long Puppet Theatre).
Along with that, 4 Silver Medals were awarded to the plays: "Illusion" (Small Stage Drama Theater), "Mountains and Rivers" (Sen Viet Theater), "Roi Toi Se Lon" (Youth Theater), "Tomorrow the sky will shine again" (Lucteam Theater).
The Organizing Committee also awarded 39 Gold Medals and 52 Silver Medals to outstanding actors at the Festival.
In addition, there is a system of awards for outstanding creative components in the Festival, including: Outstanding Author (Delgerbuyan Uranchimeg, play "Universe"); Outstanding Director (Nghe Dong Hai, play "Pipa Ji"; and Doctor, Meritorious Teacher Le Manh Hung, play "The Man in Rubber Sandals"); Outstanding Choreography (Delgerbuyan Uranchimeg, play "Universe"; People's Artist Kieu Le, Ha Hang, play "The Man in Rubber Sandals"); Outstanding Lighting Design (Nhu Son, play "Green Frog Dream"; Pham Thanh Ha-Nguyen Nhu Quynh, play "The Man in Rubber Sandals"); Outstanding Orchestra (Army Cheo Theater Orchestra, play "Love Story"); Outstanding Art Design (Meritorious Artist Le Van Truc, play "Tam Cam"; Kha Nhu Y, play "The Story of Na" - Hero Film Entertainment Limited Company); Outstanding Music (Luu Xuan Quang, play “Which Night Is Tonight”); Outstanding Orchestra Conductor (Meritorious Artist Dang To Nhu, play “Tam Cam”).
Source: https://nhandan.vn/be-mac-lien-hoan-quoc-te-san-khau-thu-nghiem-lan-thu-vi-nam-2025-post926999.html
![[Photo] Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh receives President of Cuba's Latin American News Agency](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fvphoto.vietnam.vn%2Fthumb%2F1200x675%2Fvietnam%2Fresource%2FIMAGE%2F2025%2F12%2F01%2F1764569497815_dsc-2890-jpg.webp&w=3840&q=75)
Comment (0)