Ten years of Hong Hac stage

Ten years ago, when director Viet Linh debuted the play Thien Thien, few people thought it would open such a lasting path for the Hong Hac stage.

Vo Minh Lam and Le Chi Na participate in a play reading on the Hong Hac stage - Photo: L.DOAN

At that time, Viet Linh was at the peak of her career, quietly turning to a new direction - from cinema to drama - in a context where the city's theater scene was gradually losing its audience. Many people thought that it was a risky adventure, even the end of her career.

But ten years later, Hong Hac Stage - the stage she founded and directly directed - is still lit. Overcoming harsh challenges, especially the pandemic period that forced many other stages to close, Hong Hac still exists, continues to stage plays and is preparing for its 10th anniversary. A journey considered a "miracle" in contemporary theatrical life.

When talking about Viet Linh, people remember an artist who is always full of creative energy. When you receive a call from her, you always receive something new, something forming, something moving. The way she speaks, the way she believes in things that seem fragile - is what keeps Hong Hac alive today.

This time she is no longer talking about cinema. She is talking about the stage - which has now become her daily breath. Just like when making films, she is still steadfast in her way of thinking, her way of telling and her tireless love for art, even "stubborn".

With cinema, she is still a loyal lover, but for many reasons, including health, she does not directly direct, only supports young people, specifically opening workshops, running the Hong Hac Cinema Club, editing scripts, helping to review final versions when invited...

"The most recent is co-writing the screenplay with young director Quoc Cong for the movie Lame Heart, which will be released in November 2025" - director Viet Linh said.

Behind the spotlight of the Hong Hac stage, her voice echoed backstage - as if a new play was about to begin.

Looking at the city stage, the image of an elderly woman still working hard every day in the rehearsal room, staging plays, adapting literary works... regardless of age, forgetting the image of a famous female director of a Me Thao, in her heyday no one was clearer than her, the person named Viet Linh. But a completely new Viet Linh.

And the aspiration for the city stage never gets old.

Hong Hac Stage was established on December 25, 2015, marking a new artistic journey for director Viet Linh, a filmmaker and writer who has moved to the stage.

After 10 years of operation, Hong Hac theater has had a long repertoire of plays with many genres and topics from social psychology ( Thien Thien, Visa, Third Class Actor, I Am a Woman ), criminal psychology ( The Devil's Hour ), children (My Little Angel, Wings of Love, Being Friends with the Sky, Give Me a Ticket to Childhood ); to plays from far away ( Eugenie Grandet, Tam and the Queen, Everything We Haven't Said ), experimental ( Fire Island ), national defense war ( If You Still Live )... Since 2018, Hong Hac theater has had English subtitles.

Since 2018, Hong Hac has had English subtitles. In addition to regular performances, Hong Hac stage also introduces plays to audiences who want to have their own space to enjoy. In early June 2024, Hong Hac has a new format - reading plays.

Nguyen Ngoc Thuan

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/muoi-nam-san-khau-hong-hac-20251022092811569.htm