Theory and criticism are still the "gaps" of the stage.

Scene from the play "Time Wharf" by the Youth Theater.

Speaking at the scientific workshop “Current situation and solutions of theater theory and criticism today” recently organized by the Hanoi Theater Association, Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Tri Trac frankly stated: Theater theory and criticism in Vietnam cannot be called professional because it is still very young and has a movement nature. Those who are called theorists and critics also realize that they are not worthy of that title, because they have never considered theater criticism as a vital profession. No matter how elaborate their articles are, they only receive a small amount of royalties that are not commensurate with the “input” value, so many people who are well-trained or have been famous for a while, sooner or later have to “run away” to other fields.

According to Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Tri Trac, there was a time when the team of theater theorists and critics played a brilliant role when our country's revolutionary theater was at a time of strong development. But now, the old human resources trained in the former Soviet Union, China, the University of General Sciences (now the University of Social Sciences and Humanities - Hanoi National University) and the Hanoi University of Theater and Cinema have passed away or are old, while the new human resources are almost non-existent (Hanoi University of Theater and Cinema has not been able to open a class of theory and criticism for nearly 20 years because there were no candidates registering for admission, in the major codes sent to study abroad with the state budget, there is no major code for theater theory and criticism).

Furthermore, theaters and art units do not consider theater theorists and critics as close members in creativity, so theater theory and criticism are becoming more and more out of step in the current context. "Low salary, little royalties, working hard to be "hated", then the best policy is to run away or the worst policy is to bend the pen" - Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Tri Trac sadly said.

Lacking proper “pen wars”, lacking constructive debates and criticisms by experts, it is not difficult to understand why, despite the continuous appearance of many plays, the stage scene is still lacking in excitement, bland, lacking high-quality works, and having difficulty reaching the public. Many experts believe that writing theories and criticisms of the stage is very difficult nowadays. Because if you want to write long and thorough articles, it is only suitable for publication in magazines, but by the time the magazine comes out, the play has already been performed. As for articles with limited length, you can only praise this part a little, criticize that part a little, it is neither theoretical nor critical, it is simply an article introducing the work.

As Dr. Tran Thi Minh Thu (Vietnam National Institute of Culture and Arts) said: Vietnamese theater theory and criticism today is both weak, empty, and showing signs of deviation. There are very few works, articles, and critical treatises that are truly sharp, profound, and valuable in guiding the creativity of artists. The team of professional critics is at a disadvantage, with no "place to show their skills"...

For a long time, theory and criticism have been likened to the "doctor" of the stage. Without "doctors", the stage art cannot be healthy. Therefore, the important role of theory and criticism of literature and art in general and stage art in particular needs to be fully recognized and affirmed in practice with specific solutions. Dr. Tran Thi Minh Thu believes that the important task is to build a team of specialized stage theorists and critics; there needs to be a policy of sending capable people to study abroad; there needs to be a specific mechanism to encourage people to study theory and criticism; increase funding for research projects, adjust salaries and royalties to motivate theorists and critics to contribute; regularly open training courses to raise civic awareness, responsibility and professional ethics for the team of theorists and critics...

In order for theater theory and criticism to play their role right from the stage of creating a work, according to playwright Le Quy Hien, theater units and art councils themselves need theater activists who are well-versed in theory and criticism to help the creative team ensure the consistency of the play in terms of genre, development of dramatic action, and emphasize the message of the work...

As mentioned, there is not much room left for theory and theater criticism in newspapers and on television, but the development of technology platforms is also opening many other "doors". Playwright Nguyen Toan Thang believes that theory and criticism themselves must change, and cannot be confined to old forms, which are articles citing one lofty theory or another. "Those are very good because of their academic nature, but for the public to understand, theorists must find ways to popularize them, with the aim of bringing them closer to the public," Mr. Nguyen Toan Thang emphasized.

Currently, many people who create content on social media platforms are earning a good income from film criticism and film reviews, so the Vietnamese theater treasure trove with a system of classic works of all genres, and dozens of stage works staged every year is clearly a whole sky of topics for theater theorists and critics to try their hand at in the digital environment...

According to Nhan Dan Newspaper

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