Polish artists take to the streets for their performance in "Poetic Love"
In the space in front of the Pham Thi Tran Theater ( Ninh Binh ), within the framework of the 6th International Experimental Theater Festival - 2025, the audience had the opportunity to witness a rare performance form: the street play "Poetic Love" performed by artists from the Polish Dark Evolution Art Theater. The play was written by Stawomir Dadej, directed by Wloletta Dadej.
No bells to signal the show, no velvet curtains, no boundaries of the auditorium. The play only has the road, the lights, the breath of the street, mixed with music and a medieval love story awakened in the midst of contemporary life. This is an interesting way of expressing with a new form that the festival aims for, in order to find a breakthrough in the staging and performance of street art.
From "poetic love" to timeless messages
"Poetic Love" is inspired by medieval European literature, based on the motif of courtly love - poetic love of the 12th century, which is an important ideological foundation in the history of the formation of the concept of Western love.
Audiences enjoy the character creation of Polish artists in the play "Poetic Love"
The story revolves around the relationship between a knight and a noble lady – two people bound by duty, class and social rules. They love each other not only emotionally, but also through a spiritual journey: they must overcome challenges, temptations, doubts to protect the purity of love.
The play’s merit lies not in its retelling of an ancient tale, but in its dialogue with the present. In a world dominated by speed, consumption and pragmatism, “A Poetic Love” reawakens a seemingly forgotten value: love as a cultural and moral ideal, not just a personal emotion.
Audiences love the actors who play the main characters in "Poetic Love"
Despite the many eras that have passed, despite the dust that history has cast on romantic ideals, people still yearn to love and live in purity and nobility. That is the fundamental message that the play sends to the audience today.
Poetic Love - When the stage is no longer limited to four walls
The special feature that creates the strong attraction of "Poetic Love" is the performance space. Instead of being performed in a theater, the play is brought to the street - where the audience is not a passive audience, but people who accidentally enter a lively art space.
This choice is not only technical, but also an artistic statement: Bringing the stage back to the community.
Music, lighting, costumes, and props are all designed to suit the open space. The actors don’t just perform “in front of” the audience, they perform “among” them. All distance is erased. The initial curious glances gradually become attentive, and then blend into the rhythm of the story.
Actors blend into the streets, attracting the public in Ninh Binh
Many local people in Ninh Binh were delighted, even tourists and art lovers stopped for a long time, even watching the whole performance even though they had just "passed by". This is proof of one thing: When art is presented properly, it can reach even those who have never actively sought out the stage.
Right at the Street Art Parade earlier in the opening ceremony, Polish artists "made their debut" with a very graceful and captivating performance on the street.
They are very talented in quickly grasping the audience's need to immerse themselves in the artistic space and that is why "Poetic Love" creates a connection. However, it needs stronger interaction so that the audience can integrate into the story, which is a big challenge that requires the play to have a dialogue with the audience through actions and language in addition to retelling the dramatic story according to the trend of "street reality".
A suggestive direction for Vietnamese theater
Experts say that "Poetic Love" is a performance participating in the Festival, a "practice case" worth pondering for Vietnamese theater.
For many years, the problem of "audiences leaving the stage" has been a burning issue. Theaters are empty, while the entertainment scene outside is increasingly vibrant. Bringing plays to the streets, combined with strong visual elements, lively music, open spaces... is a way to help the stage reach the public in a new way, no longer limited by architecture or psychological barriers.
Music and street dancing are unique highlights of "Poetic Love"
From here, important suggestions can be made: Vietnamese theater can boldly develop street drama, outdoor drama, community theater with familiar themes, combining tradition and contemporary; Public space can become an "open stage" - where art lives with the rhythm of urban life, contributing to building a healthy cultural environment.
This is also a direction in line with the strategy of developing cultural industries, when artistic products not only exist within the scope of profession, but become part of the space of tourism, urban areas, and community aesthetic education.
Experimental art and the need for innovative thinking to reach audiences
"Poetic Love" is a testament to the true spirit of experimentation: not only experimenting with expressive language, but also experimenting with the model of public access. For Vietnamese theater, this is the time to demand innovation from thinking to operating methods:
Ninh Binh audiences enjoy watching performances by Polish artists
We cannot just wait for the audience to come to the theater, the theater needs to proactively go out and find the audience. The event in Ninh Binh also shows that when organized properly, with a common direction from the Festival, with local and international coordination, new art models can "take root" in life instead of just stopping at performance.
It is no coincidence that the jury and experts highly appreciate the highly interactive plays that expand the performance space. Because in the context of integration, the stage is not just a stage, but also a component of the cultural and creative ecosystem.
The impressive sword fight on the street in the play "Poetic Love"
With a short duration like "The Love Affair", this is the way of Polish artists that Vietnamese theater can refer to. The actors walk on high platforms, creating impressive fighting scenes, sword fights and even medieval rituals. That is the unique creation of Polish artists when bringing to this year's festival in Ninh Binh.
The actors portrayed the characters on the canvas very impressively.
The audience was captivated by the story, the laughter and applause created a new tone for this year's international festival, with many experimental models to find the key to opening the door of creativity for the development of contemporary theater.
A stage that knows how to step into life, knows how to dialogue with the community, and is ready to innovate to survive in the flow of modern cultural industry.
From the lobby of Pham Thi Tran Theater in Ninh Binh, the story of the knight and the lady-in-waiting is no longer a story of the 12th century, but has become a story of today – where love, art and people meet in a common beat of the times.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/moi-tinh-thi-vi-khi-san-khau-buoc-ra-duong-pho-cham-vao-trai-tim-cong-dong-196251123063737824.htm
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