Director Le Quy Duong brought "The Elderly Carrying Bent Backs" to open the Experimental Theatre Festival

Đạo diễn Lê Quý Dương dồn sức — A scene from the play "The old men carrying the hunched backs" by the Ninh Binh Traditional Arts Theater

The play "The Elderly Carrying Benches" by the Ninh Binh Traditional Arts Theater will be performed on the evening of November 20 at Pham Thi Tran Theater, opening the journey to participate in the 6th International Experimental Theater Festival - 2025.

This is the first stage project of strategic significance of the new theater merging three traditional art units of Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh and Ha Nam - an institution with deep heritage and integration aspirations.

Le Quy Duong is always looking for new innovations and experiments.

Based on the script by Nguyen Duc Minh, director Le Quy Duong adapted it into a bold experimental work, conveying the main message: "Return all things to their true value."

The story of the Sai family is a warning about the deviation in morality, the breakdown of family traditions and the consequences when people follow their desires and forget their inherited kindness.

Regarding the creative direction, director Le Quy Duong emphasized: "We want to take the audience on a challenging experimental journey - from handling conventional spaces, breaking the structure of costumes to combining electronic music with traditional instruments, appearing in the human world - the underworld at the same time. The most important thing is that the work must touch the thoughts of people today: return all values to their rightful place."

People's Artist Nguyen Quang Thap, Director of Ninh Binh Traditional Arts Theater, shared: "The play is a great effort of the collective artists in the early days of the theater's operation. We wish to introduce to international friends a new face of traditional Vietnamese theater, respecting heritage but constantly creating. The companionship of the audience and experts is the strongest source of motivation for us."

The play "The Elderly Carrying the Hunched Shoulders" combines traditional Cheo, Cai Luong, puppetry, dance and music in a modern dramatic structure, promising to become the highlight of this year's Festival, where Vietnamese and international artists meet, exchange and promote the creative spirit of contemporary theater.

In the context of traditional theater needing more public attention, the play is expected to receive the attention of audiences, researchers - critics, art students and those who appreciate national cultural values.

The play "debuted" at Ninh Binh Traditional Arts Theater

From the cradle of heritage to a modern comprehensive theater model, the Ninh Binh Traditional Arts Theater was officially established on July 1, 2025, on the basis of merging Ninh Binh Cheo Theater, Nam Dinh Arts Theater and Cheo Art Troupe (under the Ha Nam Cultural - Arts Center).

This event creates a large-scale theatrical institution, converging all traditional and modern forms such as: cheo, cai luong, puppetry, hat sam, hat chau van, folk music, singing and dancing, contemporary folk and drama.

The theater is located at Pham Thi Tran Theater, Le Dai Hanh Street, Hoa Lu Ward - a sacred heritage space worshiping the founder of Cheo singing, Pham Thi Tran, also the land of Hoa Lu capital, where Cheo art was formed during the Dinh Dynasty.

This is the cradle of heritage, creating a solid foundation for the theater to develop. The merger of three traditional units has brought Ninh Binh a comprehensive theater with an abundant force of artists, a deep heritage but also rich in potential to receive the creative flows of the times.

Right from the first day, the theater introduced the opening art work "The old men carrying the hunched shoulders" - a manifesto play, boldly combining many traditional Vietnamese theatrical forms with modern techniques.

The work affirms the theater's orientation: preserving the quintessence, promoting creativity, and integrating internationally. Born in the cradle of Hoa Lu heritage but aiming for a new vision, Ninh Binh Traditional Arts Theater hopes to become an important convergence point of traditional theater, contributing to the development strategy of Vietnam's cultural industry in the new period.