Artists, researchers, directors and authors discuss at the Workshop
On the afternoon of November 23, in Hoa Lu ward ( Ninh Binh city), the Vietnam Stage Artists Association coordinated with the People's Committee of Ninh Binh province to organize the 6th International Experimental Theatre Festival Workshop - 2025. This is a mid-season professional workshop and an open intellectual forum where artists, researchers, and managers together examine the core issues of Vietnamese experimental theatre in the new context.
Attending the workshop were many experts, directors, artists from international troupes such as China, Germany and heads of art troupes participating in the festival.
Author Le Hoang Long speaks at the Conference
Associate Professor - Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Thai chaired the workshop, reviewing the content and artistic quality of 13 plays that competed in Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi , Hai Phong and Ninh Binh.
Experimental theater: Not just "strange", but "on point"
According to Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Thai, experimental theatre is not a journey to pursue "formal differences", but a process of finding a new way of expressing the issues that theatre raises: "Experimentation must be based on a traditional foundation, from the core of national culture. If we only 'make it different' without reaching the audience's emotions, then it is not true experimentation".
People's Artist Trinh Thuy Mui - Vice President of the Vietnam Union of Literature and Arts Associations - President of the Vietnam Stage Artists Association expressed her excitement at the Conference.
Many opinions at the workshop agreed that experimentation must be linked to ideological depth, not separate from the enjoyment needs of contemporary audiences, especially young audiences.
Author Le Hoang Long, son of the late author Le Duy Hanh, introduced three plays by his father staged by three socialized art units in Ho Chi Minh City to participate in the festival, including: "Hon Tho Ngoc" (Ho Chi Minh City University of Theatre and Cinema), "Nguyet Ha" (Hong Van Stage), "Son Ha" (Sen Viet Stage).
New thinking from traditional art to circus dramatization
One of the topics of great interest at the conference was the possibility of renewing traditional art forms such as cheo, cai luong, tuong, and drama, while expanding to the trend of dramatizing circus art.
Journalist Nguyen The Khoa - Deputy Director of the Institute for Research on Preservation and Promotion of National Culture; Editor-in-Chief of Van Hien Magazine; Head of the Festival Conference Committee spoke
People's Artist Tong Toan Thang - Director of the Vietnam Circus Federation shared, in the past, we always had a great concern: Vietnamese circus art seemed to only have techniques, but had not really found its own language. But in the process of artistic work, through each day of practice, experimentation and creativity, we gradually brought the stage element deeper into the structure of the circus, using the circus language to illustrate, to portray characters and clarify the story.
"From then on, we realized that the audience began to feel more clearly the content, emotions and spirit of the play. We did not dare to say that we were making a play, but we tried to tell a story in the language of circus - a way of telling a story through physicality, emotions and direct interaction with the audience" - People's Artist Tong Toan Thang emphasized.
Arts managers speak at the workshop
Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Thi Minh Thai said: "Circus dramatization is not simply storytelling through acrobatic movements, but a way to turn the artist's body into a 'language of thought'. If it goes in the right direction, this will be a potential space for Vietnamese theater to make its own mark on the international experimental theater map."
Dialogue with the world stage: Not to imitate, but to position oneself
The conference also devoted considerable time to reviewing performances from Germany and China.
The artistic council appreciated the discipline in the structure of the performances of the international troupes, the ability to blend Mongolian traditions and modernity, as well as the poetic and philosophical spirit present in the Polish performances.
Artists and organizers take souvenir photos at the Workshop
Journalist Nguyen The Khoa - Deputy Director of the Institute for Research on Preservation and Promotion of National Culture; Editor-in-Chief of Van Hien Magazine; Head of the Festival Conference Board - shared: "The important thing is to find your own identity and the experimentation process must be creative, not to turn yourself into a copy".
Ninh Binh – cultural space for creativity
Holding the conference in Ninh Binh – a land rich in history and culture – was also considered by many delegates to be a correct decision. The natural space, heritage and rich culture of Ninh Binh create a special "emotional field" for professional exchanges on art.
According to the representative of the Organizing Committee, the festival and seminar are not only professional activities, but also a form of cultural diplomacy, contributing to promoting the image of Ninh Binh in particular and Vietnamese culture in general to international friends.
The workshop will be held in the second session (November 26) and the third session (November 29).
The discussions at the workshop not only contributed to the professional summary of the 6th Festival, but also served as an invitation to Vietnamese theater: Dare to be different, dare to go far but not lose your own cultural foundation.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/hoi-thao-san-khau-thu-nghiem-tim-duong-cho-sang-tao-giu-lua-cho-ban-sac-196251123193415093.htm
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