'The Story of the Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly' is a hot topic on the 2023 children's stage

Love story… cat, human

Meritorious Artist Si Tien, Director of the Youth Theater, has reached out very far for a children's stage production in the 2023 season. "This year, we staged a play with a very good plot, The Story of the Cat Who Taught the Seagull to Fly. I bought the copyright from Chile to stage this work. The purchase price was not high because we bought it at the source," Meritorious Artist Si Tien said. The book has been translated into Vietnamese and published by Nha Nam Company, and is currently one of the most popular books for children.

The Story of the Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly is a work by the famous Chilean writer Luis Sepúlveda. The story is about the long journey of the fat cat Zorba to fulfill three promises: "not to eat the egg", "to take care of the egg until the baby bird is born" and the last thing is "to teach it to fly". During that journey, the fat cat Zorba gave a lot of love and also practiced something very difficult. That is how to accept and love someone who is born different from you, how to accept that difference, how to not have the intention of turning that person into someone like you. "I think parents who love literature will be interested in the play. Children will also want to watch it", Mr. Tien said.

Scene from the play The Old Fisherman and the Shark

Mr. Tien also said that his theater is staging another play, Bom's Dream . "We stage plays for both drama and music troupes. The play The Story of the Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly is for the drama troupe. The play Bom's Dream, with music that has many folk elements, is for the music troupe. The play integrates folk games. The story of the rich man - Bom is also closer to the contemporary times," Mr. Tien said.

Meanwhile, the Vietnam Drama Theater this year did not stage a new play for children because of a classic drama project. Since last year, the theater has not staged a play specifically for children but has cooperated in production. Meritorious Artist Xuan Bac and his close co-star Tu Long are the two main pillars for the socialized children's theater in Hanoi .

Regarding the children's stage, the musical The Old Fisherman and the Shark produced by Rose Media will return to perform in May. Ms. Hong Nhung, Director of Rose Media (the production unit), said that this year the number of child actors participating in the play has increased. Of which, the school of fish will increase from 34 to 47 "children". The staff of the school of fish has changed this year for many reasons, including the fact that many children want to have the opportunity to try their hand on stage. "The gift that the producer gives to the children is not only to enjoy the work, but also to create a playground for many children to have the opportunity to try their hand on stage. Although the role is small, it is a rare childhood memory for the children on the occasion of June 1st," Ms. Nhung said.

People's Artist Tong Toan Thang, Director of the Vietnam Circus Federation, said that this year the federation will have the play Tam Cam for Children's Day in June (from May 26 to June 4). Thus, the circus continues to follow the path of making circus plays, not just normal performances. With Tam Cam , the culture of the North will be introduced more. In particular, different circus performances will be shown at the same time in exciting parts.

The story of the cat teaching a seagull to fly has become the inspiration for many drawing and design competitions organized by Nha Nam Company.

Scene from the play The Golden Flower Farm

Focus on visual effects

Mr. Tien said: "The costumes for the two new plays are being made in Ho Chi Minh City. The theater's artist, Mr. Dang Minh Tuan, has beautiful designs. The costumes are beautiful and lovely. The play Bom's Dream also has good visual elements to attract children."

Meanwhile, the Vietnam Circus Federation has long invested in costumes with many colorful designs, bearing local cultural elements when needed. This helps the circus stage become more lively, attracting the "gods" of circus, who are mainly teenagers and children. The performances of the Vietnam Circus Federation have very flexible settings. Sometimes it is the underwater world , sometimes it is the deep mountains and forests. This helps the unit easily change the "menu" to serve children.

Also in the story of changing the "menu", besides the 2 new plays, the Youth Theater continues to perform Golden Flower Farm, a musical for teenagers. "In recent years, we have paid attention to product standards. The audience has increasingly high demands, so everything from the scriptwriter to the preliminary and final rehearsals is strict. The "age" of the work must also be raised so that the play can be performed many times", Mr. Tien said.

According to Mr. Tien, the general trend is that troupes and theaters are moving towards having many formats so that they can perform in many places conveniently. "We have more compact "configurations" to bring to schools. As for theater standards, we still meet the high requirements, the unique style of the Youth Theater, harmonious, youthful, and evokes the sound of young people," Mr. Tien added.

Source link: https://thanhnien.vn/chuyen-con-meo-day-hai-au-bay-nong-san-khau-thieu-nhi-2023-185230504125105417.htm