Bitterly standing outside after 24 years
This year, the three theater units of the Hanoi University of Theater and Cinema (HAC), Ho Chi Minh City University of Theater and Cinema, and the Military University of Culture and Arts (VHNTQD) share a "common pain". That is, they are not allowed to participate in the National Drama Festival (taking place from June 11 to 26 in Thai Nguyen City, Thai Nguyen Province) due to the regulations of this festival, while they have all participated in the previous festival. "The regulations require actors to have worked professionally for 3 years. Secondly, if the school has a theater, the theater must be independent and have its own seal, and no theater can meet that criterion. If it is related to the school, everyone will be excluded," said a theater director.
Thang Long Citadel of the New World Theater
Although the festival regulations have not yet been made available to the press, art school units have been excluded from the festival due to the regulations being revealed. At Hanoi University of Fine Arts, teachers and students had to give up and not attend. At the National University of Culture and Arts, the school even prepared a play for the festival, then sadly stood aside. At Ho Chi Minh City University of Fine Arts, the affiliated theater, The New World, was equally bitter because it was excluded when the regulations were issued.
People's Artist Hoang Yen, Ho Chi Minh City University of Performing Arts, expressed her sadness when receiving comments from the Department of Performing Arts (DPA) that according to the regulations, her theater cannot participate in the National Drama Festival. "The Department of Performing Arts replied that this year's regulations do not allow it. Hanoi University of Performing Arts, Ho Chi Minh City University of Performing Arts, and the Vietnam National Academy of Arts and Culture also do not allow it. We have to accept it," People's Artist Hoang Yen said. According to Ms. Yen, her unit (New World Theater under Ho Chi Minh City University of Performing Arts) has participated in the National Drama Festival consecutively since 2000. During those 24 years, she and her colleagues have never missed a national drama festival or an international experimental theater festival. "We still attend all of them, and we have won prizes every time we go," People's Artist Hoang Yen said.
The theaters and art units of the school themselves were quite surprised by this year's regulations and their exclusion from the festival. Colonel, Master Tran Thanh Bach, Head of the Department of Theater, Cinema and Writing (Vietnam National University of Culture and Arts) shared: "I was also surprised and did not understand why they were not allowed to participate. While at school, I chose the script, organized the opening ceremony, invited artists to design the art, and then suddenly it happened like that, it was sad."
According to Mr. Bach: "I don't understand why they don't let them participate. It would be great if they could gain experience and shine right from the moment they sit in the lecture hall. They can both interact and learn from their elders, thereby seeing what they are lacking, and then exchanging with teachers and the previous generation through the performance, which is very valuable."
More insensitive and harsh
Because the Department of Performing Arts has so far avoided answering reporters, Thanh Nien Newspaper asked people in the profession about the above regulations. Is the requirement for actors to have a university degree, or for the theater to have a legal entity… aimed at ensuring that participants have talent, aiming at the professionalism of the Drama Festival?
Time Wharf, a play participating in this year's National Drama Festival
Regarding this, a director of Hanoi University of Science and Technology said: "The regulations of this year's festival are very inappropriate. In the school, there are not only students, but also many people who are already working. The organizing committee is overreacting when setting such criteria. If the criteria of the Organizing Committee and the Department of Performing Arts are set to create a playground, then is the festival really a playground when there are fewer troupes and plays?"
Colonel, Master Tran Thanh Bach also said: "There are also several groups of students at schools. They come back to study but are already artists at theaters. They only have intermediate degrees, for example, so the theaters send them back to school to complete their university studies, not as brand new students. In terms of qualifications to participate, they are qualified."
For Ho Chi Minh City University of Technology, the qualifications, talent and professionalism of the artists of the New World Theater are also very clear. "We are all lecturers, we do not use students to stage for competitions. The works also touch on Vietnamese literature and history," said Ms. Hoang Yen. This year, the theater has also prepared two plays, one about Trinh Sam and one about Kieu. However, they were unable to attend the festival.
Previously, according to Ms. Hoang Yen, the theater's plays had won many awards at the National Drama Festival. In 2012, the play Am Binh was considered the "bomb" of the festival. In 2018, the play Yeu La Thoat Toi won a silver prize. In 2021, they also won an award. More preciously, the plays of this theater after winning an award never performed less than 100 nights. "Currently, the play Yeu La Thoat Toi has also been performed for more than 200 nights. At that time, Thanh Thang Long was seen by all high schools in Ho Chi Minh City," Ms. Yen shared.
Regarding the regulations that eliminated the delegations of the SKDA schools this year, Ms. Yen said: "First, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism manages the Department of Performing Arts, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism also manages our Theater School. Being in the same industry, we had to stay silent because we were still subordinates, and if there were regulations above, we would follow them. But we hope that next time, the regulations would allow us and the lecturers to participate."
Another director said: "Many people also recognize the instability of the regulations but cannot argue because they have already been issued. Artists are facing a fait accompli. If it opens a wider playground, it will be good for the profession and the festival. This year's festival looks like the number of works is not as much as previous ones. It is not even as much as the People's Police Soldier Stage Festival (a festival that focuses on one theme). I don't understand why it is so stricter."
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/lien-hoan-kich-noi-toan-quoc-2024-phai-dung-ben-le-vi-quy-che-18524061222271552.htm
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