Phi Nguyen's Monologue - An Introspection About the Ego

(NLDO) - The 6th International Experimental Theatre Festival - 2025 had a monologue by Phi Nguyen, causing controversy with the audience about its experimental nature.

Monologue actor Phi Nguyen

On the evening of November 23, within the framework of the 6th International Experimental Theatre Festival - 2025, taking place at Pham Thi Tran Theater ( Ninh Binh ), the audience had a special experience with the reading - monologue "With Phi or Without Phi" by artist Phi Nguyen, a young actor with two cultural identities: Vietnamese - Dutch.

Not a play in the traditional sense, "With Phi or Without Phi" is closer to a stage version of an inner self-examination, where the artist not only recounts his life but also dissects himself in front of the audience, using a minimalist, rhythmic and thoughtful stage language. However, experts commented that this approach is not new, not very experimental, but from the perspective of daring to explore creativity and raise issues facing young people, Phi Nguyen has a story worth pondering.

Phi Nguyen's Monologue - When the stage becomes a "mirror" of identity

Phi Nguyen stepped onto the stage not as a character, but as himself – a young man with immigrant memories, torn between two cultures, between "roots" and "the open world ".

Monologue actor Phi Nguyen raises personal issues in his performance

But the point is, he does not tell his life story to affirm his ego, but to question the concept of ego itself: Who am I? Is there Phi or is there no Phi?

Solo performance combining: Personal monologue; Body movement; Interactive music; Layers of philosophical – Buddhist – psychological concepts

Through that, Phi Nguyen leads the audience from his own story to the universal question: Do modern humans exist as a true self, or are they just products of social stereotypes?

There, identity is not a predetermined garment, but an ever-changing flow – between the Netherlands and Vietnam, between the present and memories, between personal ambition and community responsibility.

Monologue actor Phi Nguyen looks at himself and reflects on his past self.

Phi Nguyen with his monologue - Humorous, vulnerable but full of awareness

The special point of "With or Without Phi" is the resonance between humor and inner depth.

Phi Nguyen does not philosophize dryly. He jokes, he laughs, he is confused, he mocks himself – with his eyes, his facial muscles, his breathing, his deliberate hesitation.

On stage, he sowed into space seemingly dry philosophical concepts:

Mindfulness – forgetfulness – drowsiness – gestures – jealousy – love – verbal karma – repentance – faith – foreignism – brotherhood – and “never give up”…

But instead of preaching, he brings them to life through form and emotion.

Each word is not a definition, but a slight "shock" that triggers awareness in the viewer.

"Dynamic Mindfulness": A Manifesto for Living

One of the central arguments of the play is the concept of “active mindfulness” – how Phi Nguyen calls the way of life he is seeking.

Monologue actor Phi Nguyen advises himself after many past events

According to him, fundamental afflictions such as greed, anger, lust, wrong views… do not only exist in others, but are within each person. The problem is not to deny them, but to recognize them in awareness.

He told the audience: "Sometimes you read these words and think they're not about you. But think again, are they really?

That monologue is like a gentle push – for the audience to self-examine: Am I being led by my troubles? Am I living in an illusion about myself? Am I awake enough to recognize the distortions in my own perception?

Here, art is no longer about performance, but about activating self-awareness, what Phi Nguyen calls “long-lasting clear mindfulness” – the foundation of a happy life.

Minimal technique, maximizing awareness

Without showing off his image or abusing technology, Phi Nguyen chose the difficult path: using only his body, breath and voice to touch the viewer's perception.

The control of rhythm, tempo, internal sound, and the ability to regulate emotions delicately helps the play achieve a state of "expansiveness" - as he said - that is, opening up a deep space in the audience's mind.

This is also the true spirit of experimental theatre: not seeking to answer, but re-posing fundamental questions about humanity and life. A thoughtful young voice at the International Festival.

With the form of narrative monologue, Monologue Actor Phi Nguyen's story makes viewers think.

"With Phi or Without Phi" has tried to find a way to tell the story, whether it is a solo performance combined with an LED screen, the story is the personal journey of a Dutch artist of Vietnamese origin, the voice of a young generation struggling with identity in a globalized world.

The play does not give answers. But it is precisely that lack of answers that makes the audience leave the theater with more questions about themselves. They applaud the way he acts, they laugh at his very silly explanations and actions, but it is a new way of telling a monologue story.

This genre has appeared in many performances in Ho Chi Minh City with the group "Sai Gon Teu" performing regularly at the Youth Cultural House. However, with Phi Nguyen's way of posing the question about the journey to find one's own self, it shows that young people want the stage to not talk about things that are far from reality, but to share and create opportunities for young people to find themselves in plays.

Perhaps, as Phi Nguyen whispered on stage: "Living mindfully – being active – is the profound source of happiness."

Source: https://nld.com.vn/kich-doc-thoai-phi-nguyen-cuoc-tu-van-ve-ban-nga-196251124081458458.htm