School theater fosters love of history and national art

Amidst the resounding drum beats and the vibrant colors of the traditional stage, over 500 students and teachers of Van Lang Secondary School (Tan Dinh Ward, Ho Chi Minh City) had a very special activity with the artists of the Ho Chi Minh City Opera Theatre. The program "School Stage" not only brought emotional historical excerpts but also opened up opportunities for students to experience directly - from watching the play to participating in the performance, learning, feeling and loving more the value of national art.

Artists go to school

School theater programs have become a regular activity in many schools in Ho Chi Minh City, with the participation of public and private art units. From hát bội (traditional opera), cải lương (reformed opera), Đôn ca tài tử (traditional opera) to drama, folk music , etc. are all vividly introduced in flag-salute ceremonies or extracurricular lessons, helping students understand more about traditional culture through direct experience.

Artists from the Ho Chi Minh City Opera Theatre introduced to more than 500 students and teachers of Van Lang Secondary School (Tan Dinh Ward) the most basic knowledge of this traditional art form.

At Van Lang Secondary School, on the morning of November 6, artists from the Ho Chi Minh City Opera Theatre performed two excellent excerpts from “Tran Hung Dao goes to war” and “Vo Thi Sau”. In the schoolyard, in the bustling atmosphere of drums, music, the images of artists in colorful costumes, decisive movements, and resonant lyrics... made the students extremely excited.

Not only watching, the students also participated in the performance with the artists, transforming themselves into characters through typical actions of hát bội such as riding horses, rowing boats, holding spears in battle, or learning how to breathe, emphasize, and sing in each verse. Many students were shy at first, but after being carefully guided, they gradually became excited to try their hand at acting, laughing happily in the school yard.

Excerpt from Tran Hung Dao's march to war.

Artist Thanh Binh, representative of the Ho Chi Minh City Opera Theatre, said: “We want children not only to watch opera but also to experience opera, to understand how the artist uses his body, voice and emotions to express the story. When they are 'on stage' even for a few minutes, they will remember it for a long time, that is the most natural way to sow love for traditional art.”

Over the years, the Theater has implemented programs such as "Preserving and promoting traditional national artistic values", "The art of Hat Boi - A hundred-year origin", or "The quintessence of Hat Boi", organized at dozens of elementary, middle, high schools and universities. Each program is flexibly designed: for young students, there are games to learn knowledge, try on costumes, and guess the characters; for students, the content is more in-depth, analyzing acting techniques, music, costumes and aesthetic philosophy of Hat Boi in the South.

"Especially in the performance at Van Lang Secondary School, with two excerpts from Tran Hung Dao's army and Vo Thi Sau, we want to contribute to educating students about national traditions, fostering patriotism through learning about national heroes, and vividly learning historical stories through traditional performances," artist Thanh Binh shared.

Students eagerly watched the performances at the school stage program.

According to artist Thanh Binh, bringing hát bội to schools not only helps children understand more about national history but also fosters pride and respect for Vietnamese cultural values. “Each hát bội play is a vivid lesson about patriotism and human morality. When children are exposed to it early, their love for national culture will gradually be formed and nurtured for a long time.”

Sowing cultural seeds in young souls

Principal of Van Lang Secondary School, Mr. Tran Ngoc Lam shared: “We want to bring students back to traditional values, because in modern society, they are often caught up in technology. When exposed to folk art, they have time to calm down and feel the beauty of their ancestors' culture. Through that, we not only promote but also help them live with the heritage, turn those values ​​into life experiences and think positively about life.”

Artists perform excerpts from Vo Thi Sau.

According to Mr. Tran Ngoc Lam, this is the second time the Ho Chi Minh City Opera Theatre has performed at the school and the students are all very excited. “If you want students to reduce the time they spend using their phones, there must be activities that are attractive enough. When they watch and participate, they will naturally love it, and then go home to look up more information about opera and the artists they met today. That is also a way for them to use their phones and the internet in a reasonable and useful way,” said Mr. Lam.

Nguyen Thanh Van, a student of class 6/5, shared: “I really like this program because I get to see artists perform about Vo Thi Sau, a hero I only know from books. Thanks to the program, I understand more about her bravery and find hat boi very interesting.” Vu Quang Huy, class 7/4, expressed: “This is the first time I have seen hat boi, the performance of Vo Thi Sau is very impressive. I hope the school will organize more sessions like this so that I can learn more about other heroes and other traditional arts.”

Instruct students in rowing and horse riding techniques in opera performances.

These innocent feelings are proof of the influence of school theater, where art and education blend together. Bringing folk art into schools helps students learn history through emotions, vivid images and sounds, instead of just dry words. When witnessing with their own eyes how artists ride horses into battle, row boats through waves or sing tragic songs in farewell scenes, students feel like they are "reliving" history, clearly feeling the national spirit and heroic spirit.

According to the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City, the school theater model is being expanded in many schools across the wards in the area, not only with traditional opera but also with reformed opera, amateur opera, folk singing, etc. Each program is an "open class" that both imparts knowledge and nurtures aesthetic emotions, helping the young generation to be proud and aware of preserving cultural heritage.

Students of Van Lang Secondary School enthusiastically participated in interactions and answered questions at the program.

“When we see the sparkling eyes of the children, we understand that traditional art still has a place in the hearts of young people. Just sow a seed today, and later they will be the ones to continue to keep the fire burning,” artist Thanh Binh shared.

From simple performances in the schoolyard, the art of hát bội, a genre once associated with village temples and ancient festivals, is finding a new, youthful and energetic audience. The applause, cheers, curiosity and passion of students are proof of the enduring vitality of traditional Vietnamese art.

The excited faces of students of Van Lang Secondary School.

“School theater” is therefore not just a performance activity, but a form of comprehensive cultural education, contributing to fostering patriotism, national pride and preserving the flame of folk art for future generations.

Source: https://baotintuc.vn/van-hoa/san-khau-hoc-duong-boi-dap-tinh-yeu-lich-su-va-nghe-thuat-dan-toc-20251106150107305.htm