A stage for the next generation.

The graduation performances by directors and students from various courses at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Theatre and Film have been highly praised by experts for their artistic content and staging style. This represents a promising "treasure trove" of plays amidst a current shortage of quality works for the theater to offer audiences.

A scene from the play "The Devil Lives with Man" by young director Nguyen Dang Quang.

Heartfelt performances

Recently, the play "The Devil Lives with People," staged by student Nguyen Dang Quang, surprised not only the audience but also professionals in the field. This play was actually Dang Quang's 2025 graduation project at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Theatre and Film. Dang Quang shared: “The idea for the play came to me after reading the short story 'There Is No King' by writer Nguyen Huy Thiep. Many people advised me to choose a different work, because the story's content depicts characters and society with many hidden and dark aspects. Fortunately, I received guidance and suggestions from my teacher, People's Artist Tran Ngoc Giau, who gave me ideas to create a gentle ending that is closer to contemporary social life.”

After graduating, Dang Quang hoped the play would have a longer lifespan and reach a wider audience. However, for a young director fresh out of school, this was not a simple dream. There was no funding for organizing the play, no performance venue, and even finding a warehouse to store the stage sets required searching far and wide.

A similar case is the graduation performance "The House Without Women " (by author Ngoc Linh) by student-director Hua Manh Dung in 2025. The play was elaborately staged with an investment of approximately 200 million VND, receiving much praise from artists, but was subsequently shelved.

A dream stage for young directors

People's Artist My Uyen, Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Small Stage Theatre (5B Theatre), recently invited two young directors, Vu Tran and Hua Manh Dung, to collaborate on two plays: "The Halo in the Darkness" (original title: El gran teatro del mundo, a work by Spanish writer Pedro Calderón de la Barca) and "The House Without Women" (author: Ngoc Linh). Sharing his thoughts on the new journey of his "brainchild," young director Hua Manh Dung expressed: "I am very happy that my play can continue to be performed."

Previously, the 5B Theatre also collaborated with young director Hoang Tran Thi Dinh to stage the psychological, existential play " The June Farewell" (by the great Russian playwright Aleksandr Vampilov). This is also Hoang Tran Thi Dinh's graduation play for her theatre directing class at the end of 2025.

Meritorious Artist Ca Lê Hồng, a member of the Art Council of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports, and former Rector of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Theatre and Film, said: “Many graduation performances by students of the Directing Department are meticulously produced, achieving high quality in terms of art, aesthetics, ideology, and creativity... I have repeatedly suggested to the school how to ensure that more good performances are staged, both to promote the students and to avoid wasting the effort and dedication put into creating the plays.”

There are many ways to provide support, such as: organizing weekly performances at the school's stage; collaborating with the Ho Chi Minh City Theatre Association - 5B Theatre to organize a stage for student directors and young actors; partnering with Ho Chi Minh City Radio and Television to record and broadcast excellent plays to the audience... thereby creating opportunities for talented young directors to shine.

Meritorious Artist Ca Le Hong

THUY BINH

Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/san-khau-cho-the-he-ke-thua-post834830.html