Nearly 30 Vietnamese and foreign units participate in the 2025 International Experimental Theatre Festival

The 6th International Experimental Theatre Festival, 2025, takes place from November 15 to 30, bringing together nearly 1,000 artists and actors from nearly 30 Vietnamese and international art units. Notably, this festival takes place in 4 provinces and cities: Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hai Phong.

On November 11, in Hanoi , the Vietnam Association of Stage Artists and the People's Committee of Ninh Binh province held a press conference to inform about the 6th International Experimental Theatre Festival in 2025.

Press conference scene. Photo: Organizing Committee

The festival is a cultural and artistic exchange activity between Vietnam and other countries in the world , aiming to improve the quality of art as well as encourage innovation and creativity in the country's stage arts, introducing and honoring Vietnamese and international stage works with new ideological, artistic and creative values.

Through the organization of the festival, Vietnamese theater has more opportunities to exchange and share experiences in artistic creation, thereby finding directions for artistic activities to build many theatrical works with high ideological value and artistic quality, contributing to the implementation of Resolution No. 23-NQ/TU of the Politburo on continuing to build and develop literature and art in the new period, Resolution No. 33-NQ/TU of the 9th Central Conference, 11th term on building and developing Vietnamese culture and people to meet the requirements of sustainable national development and the Party's Resolutions on culture and art.

The 6th International Experimental Theatre Festival has nearly 1,000 artists from nearly 30 professional international and Vietnamese theatre art units participating, bringing 29 typical experimental theatre plays. Of which, there are 10 works by international units from the Philippines, Poland, China, Korea, Israel, Japan, Mongolia, Uzbekistan.

Dr. and playwright Nguyen Dang Chuong, Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam Stage Artists Association, speaks. Photo: Organizing Committee

Speaking at the press conference, Dr. and playwright Nguyen Dang Chuong, Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam Stage Artists Association, said that this is the 6th time the festival has been held to use stage experiments to find new points that lead to successful results in artistic creation.

Playwright Nguyen Dang Chuong commented that the 29 plays by nearly 30 international and Vietnamese art troupes participating in the 6th International Experimental Theatre Festival are diverse in art forms and rich in themes. There are dramas, pantomimes, physical dramas, musicals, cheo, tuong, cai luong, circus, puppetry, etc. and other art forms whose genres have not yet been determined.

“There are plays that are not exactly tragedies, comedies, musicals… so we have not been able to find a name yet. That is also a new creation and there will certainly be debate. But the goal of the festival is to reach new discoveries in domestic and international theatrical arts, so the Organizing Committee welcomes those experiments,” said the Permanent Vice President of the Vietnam Stage Artists Association.

To create conditions for many domestic art units, especially socialized art units, to participate in this year's festival, the Organizing Committee decided to hold it in 4 provinces and cities: Hanoi, Ninh Binh, Ho Chi Minh City, and Hai Phong.

Deputy Director of Ninh Binh Department of Culture and Sports Nguyen Manh Cuong speaks. Photo: Organizing Committee

Coordinating with the Vietnam Stage Artists Association to organize this festival, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ninh Binh Nguyen Manh Cuong said that this is both an honor and a responsibility of Ninh Binh province. This is also an opportunity for Ninh Binh to introduce the image, culture, and local people to domestic and international friends. After merging the three provinces of Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh, and Ha Nam, the new Ninh Binh province owns a new space, a new favorable and solid ground to promote cultural and historical values.

The opening ceremony of the festival will take place at Pham Thi Tran Theater (Hoa Lu Ward, Ninh Binh) at 8:00 p.m. on November 20, the closing ceremony and award ceremony will take place at the same location at 8:00 p.m. on November 30.

Within the framework of the festival, there are 3 academic exchange seminars on participating theatrical works. Artists and the public will enjoy the special art program "Street Parade" in the ancient town of Hoa Lu - Ninh Binh, with a harmonious blend of tradition and modernity. During the festival, domestic and international artists will also have the opportunity to explore the natural beauty of the ancient capital.

At this festival, there are 5 public and socialized art units of Hanoi participating such as: Thang Long Puppetry Theatre with the play "Tam Cam", Hanoi Drama Theatre with the play "Moonlit Night in Summer Lagoon", Hanoi Cheo Theatre with the play "Peach Blossom", Hanoi Theater Association with the play "Last Night", LucTeam Stage with the play "Tomorrow the Sky Will Be Bright Again".

Source: https://hanoimoi.vn/gan-30-don-vi-viet-nam-va-nuoc-ngoai-tham-gia-lien-hoan-quoc-te-san-khau-thu-nghiem-2025-722926.html