Tuong art - A mark of Binh Dinh in the past

Poet Van Trong Hung - former Director of the Department of Culture and Information of Binh Dinh province, a playwright - confided: "When I was young, I often followed my mother to watch opera night after night, and I became addicted without realizing it. Now, every time I hear the sound of drums somewhere, I want to run to see opera immediately". Therefore, in Binh Dinh, there is a saying: "Hearing the war drums/Going without being told/Hearing the urging drums/Running headlong".

A scene from the play "Ancient Citadel" **(documentary photo** ).

I remember, in a previous article in Binh Dinh newspaper, Professor Hoang Chuong praised the late Chairman of the People's Committee of Nghia Binh Province (formerly) To Dinh Co. When he was alive, Mr. Co was a fan of Tuong and directly played the drum in several Hat Boi performances in his hometown. His drum beats were very skillful, soulful, and captivating to the audience.

During To Dinh Co's tenure, Binh Dinh opera troupes (both professional and amateur) received special attention and developed strongly. Many talented artists of the opera stage also appeared one after another. He brought the Binh Dinh opera troupe to Hanoi to perform for the National Assembly delegates. He was also the one who directly conducted the performance, and was praised by the Party and National Assembly leaders at that time. By 2014, Binh Dinh traditional opera art was recognized as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

According to researchers, although it is not clear when the art of Tuong was introduced to Vietnam, the first person to lay the foundation for the art of Tuong in Vietnam was Dao Duy Tu (1572-1634), during the reign of Lord Sai Nguyen Phuc Nguyen. Much later, during the Nguyen Dynasty, especially under King Tu Duc, the art of Tuong was brought to its peak with the famous playwright Dao Tan (1845-1907), from Tuy Phuoc (Binh Dinh), known as the founder of Vietnamese Tuong art. Dao Tan's famous plays are praised by people such as: "Van Buu Trinh Tuong", "Co Thanh", "Tram Huong Cac", "Dien Vo Dinh" ...

During the two resistance wars against the French colonialists and the American imperialists, the Zone V Party Committee had a policy of restoring traditional Tuong art, so it allowed the establishment of the Inter-Zone V Tuong Troupe in 1952. In 1954, this Tuong troupe gathered in the North and settled in Hanoi. After the liberation day (April 30, 1975), Quang Ngai and Binh Dinh provinces merged into Nghia Binh province, Tuong artists merged into Nghia Binh Tuong Troupe, then upgraded to Nghia Binh Tuong Theatre; in 1988, it was renamed Dao Tan Tuong Theatre.

Five years ago, Dao Tan Tuong Theater merged with Binh Dinh Bai Choi Opera Troupe to form Binh Dinh Traditional Arts Theater. Famous artists of Dao Tan Tuong Theater were once loved by the public such as: People's Artist Hoa Binh , People's Artist Hoang Ngoc Dinh, People's Artist Vo Thi Tuyet Mai...

In recent years, Dao Tan Tuong Theater has made significant contributions to the development of Tuong art in the three regions of the country in both theory and practice; at the same time, many Tuong composers with their own unique identities have also contributed to enriching the treasure trove of Tuong scripts in our country from ancient to modern times. Commenting on the Tuong scripts of playwright Van Trong Hung in Quy Nhon (Binh Dinh) with 5 typical scripts in the collection "Di tim Chan Chua" (Sanh Khau Publishing House in 2004), art critic Nguyen Van Thanh - Deputy Director of the Institute of Theater - said: "Watching and reading Van Trong Hung's plays, I always feel like standing in front of a multi-layered relief, with raised and sunken areas, dark and bright areas. If we only look at it with the principle of perspective or with the habit of receiving art in a very simple one-sided way, we will not be able to go deep into the world of art that the playwright has worked so hard and devotedly to create."

Nowadays, although the number of fans of Tuong theater is not much, especially among the young, the Tuong art heritage of Vietnam in general and Binh Dinh in particular has left an indelible mark in the hearts of the public.

Source: https://baogialai.com.vn/nghe-thuat-tuong-dau-an-binh-dinh-mot-thoi-post329290.html