Actress Bich Cham (stage name Bich Tram) plays Thi Binh in the play "Thunderstorm" - Photo: LINH DOAN
To develop the art of Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera) in the future, finding and discovering young talents to nurture and develop them in a timely manner is an urgent task.
Highlights of the competition
The 2026 National Cai Luong Actor Talent Competition features 36 contestants from various art units across Vietnam, from North to South. Several performances have already heated up the Tran Huu Trang Theater and raised hopes for the emergence of a new talent.
The most enthusiastic contestant was undoubtedly the young actor Trong Nhan from the Huynh Long traditional theater troupe. Nhan was among the youngest participants in the competition.
Although only 22 years old this year, his performances consistently received rounds of applause. In Lê Duy Hạnh's play "A Solo Performance ," Nhân successively portrayed four characters: an artist, a loyal minister, a childish king, and a treacherous minister.
A performance that would be difficult to complete without sufficient inner strength, as it involves singing, dancing, and transforming into various characters in an instant.
In contrast to Nhân's youthful energy, Bích Châm (stage name Bích Trâm), from the Vũ Luân theater group, delivers a simple yet profound and emotionally rich performance as Thị Bình in "Lôi Vũ" .
The Vietnam National Traditional Theatre presented six beautifully staged, elegant, and meticulously prepared performances in the competition. On the morning of May 20th, many were amazed by actress Ngan Ha's performance as Macbeth in "Maestro Macbeth's Improvisations ."
This script was written and staged by author and director Trieu Trung Kien, the deputy director of the theater. The characters have a Western flavor, but when presented in the language of Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera), they truly captivated the audience with the artists' singing and acting abilities and the director's skillful staging. Viewers were mesmerized because there was no sense of sentimentality or forced performance.
However, performances that evoke strong emotions like that are rare. Composer Hoang Song Viet, who has followed the competition for many years, observes that this year's contestants are all fairly evenly matched, with no particularly outstanding ones.
Therefore, in that context, choosing the right script and the director's staging to highlight the contestants' strengths is extremely important. Each contestant has a maximum of 25 minutes, so many choose to perform a valuable excerpt from a traditional Vietnamese opera.
Some teams and directors meticulously craft complete performances, adding details to make the contestants' characters more substantial. However, others are quite superficial, simply cutting and pasting excerpts, resulting in characters lacking depth and leaving viewers feeling disappointed.
Actress Ngan Ha as Lady Macbeth in "The Improvisation of Lady Macbeth" - Photo: LINH DOAN
Creating opportunities for young actors.
Witnessing the audience's excitement during Trong Nhan's performance, judge Hoang Quynh Mai said she was very happy. Happy to see young people who still love Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera) and can create such a captivating stage presence like Nhan. Nhan shows the potential to become a future star if he continues to nurture and hone his skills every day.
"The Cai Luong stage is facing fierce competition from many other new and attractive forms of entertainment. Therefore, the fact that there are still young people who are passionate and dedicated to Cai Luong is extremely valuable."
"In this competition, we judges encouraged each other to try to find and nurture promising talents, hoping to create opportunities for them to have more motivation to pursue their careers and strive for excellence in the art of Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera)," Ms. Mai confided.
The Vam Co Cai Luong (traditional Vietnamese opera) troupe ( Tay Ninh ) is proving to be a new "force" among the few remaining Cai Luong troupes in the Western region of Vietnam. Their performances show careful attention to detail and investment, despite the uneven skill levels of the contestants.
Vo Hoang Du performing the "Hungry Ghost" act by the Vam Co Cai Luong (Vietnamese traditional opera) Art Troupe - Photo: LINH DOAN
Artist Ho Ngoc Trinh, the head of the delegation, shared with Tuoi Tre newspaper: "We see that some contestants are outstanding, while others still have limitations, but the delegation is creating the best possible conditions for them to participate in this major professional competition."
Nowadays, a traditional theater troupe doesn't stage many plays each year, so opportunities can't be distributed equally, especially for young people who lack experience. Therefore, participating in a Cai Luong acting talent competition gives them more opportunities to test their skills and practice a challenging role.
Participating in the competition isn't just about the prize; it's primarily for personal gain, a way for them to challenge and surpass themselves. Who knows, this opportunity might allow them to discover abilities they haven't had the chance to showcase before. The team leaders can also assess the actors' potential based on their efforts, and from there, develop plans to train and develop new talents."
Ho Ngoc Trinh also added that after the competition, the contestants' performances will continue to be included in future shows, further developing their acting abilities and ensuring that the investment in their talent for the competition is not wasted.
Actor Trong Nhan performing a solo play - Photo: LINH DOAN
This year, changes in the regulations have resulted in a more limited number of candidates compared to previous exams. Therefore, there are conflicting opinions.
For example, the regulations regarding educational qualifications, which, according to Mr. Tran Ngoc Giau, chairman of the judging panel, may be unfamiliar to many, but he believes are necessary to enhance the professionalism of the competition.
Contestants also need to meet certain standards to elevate the capabilities of Cai Luong actors in the modern era. They must possess sufficient competence and skill to create profound characters.
Meanwhile, Mr. Hoang Song Viet expressed his concern, saying that in his opinion, Cai Luong actors need talent, and not everyone possesses that talent. Given the scarcity of Cai Luong actors, especially young ones, perhaps the regulations should be reviewed, fearing that talent might be overlooked.
While educational institutions can provide opportunities and encouragement for students to pursue further education, aptitude and talent, which are crucial factors, are very difficult to cultivate.
Source: https://tuoitre.vn/di-tim-tai-nang-cai-luong-2026052209501521.htm
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