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| Celebrating Vietnam Theatre Day 2025 and the 20th anniversary of the Thai Nguyen Cai Luong Club. |
Thai Nguyen was once home to a generation of veteran figures in Vietnam's revolutionary theater scene, such as People's Artist Bach Tra; People's Artist Quang Ton; Meritorious Artist Ngo Man; Meritorious Artist Tho An; and comedian Tu Chau… These individuals brought theater troupes to Thai Nguyen in 1950, established a professional troupe in 1952, and followed the revolution.
As Associate Professor Pham Thi Minh Thai rightly observed, "If we consider the long history of modern Vietnamese theater, before joining the resistance, theater artists, from their subconscious of patriotism and national pride, had already created the foundations for building a modern Vietnamese theater after Vietnam ended its nine-year resistance war."
Their names are not only associated with the Quyet Tien Tuong Troupe, later the Quyet Tien Cai Luong Troupe, but also with the significant development of the revolutionary theater in our country.
Over two decades of development (1952-1978), the Quyet Tien Cai Luong Troupe had many successful performances, including the Cai Luong play "Nung Van Van" (the leader of the uprising against the Nguyen dynasty by the people of the ethnic groups in the Viet Bac region in the years 1933-1935); and "The Indigo-Clad Guerrilla Team" (about the journey of a Tay-Nung ethnic guerrilla team in the Viet Bac war zone, overcoming hardships during the war, protecting their homeland and participating in the resistance against the French).
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| Meritorious Artist Ánh Thiệp (in a red ao dai) in a performance by the Thái Nguyên Drama Troupe. |
The theater scene in Thai Nguyen experienced strong development during the resistance war against the US. The successes of Thai Nguyen theater created a rich and diverse landscape of performing arts in the heart of the Northeast region.
Mr. Vu Van Lam and Mrs. Dao Thi Hoa, now nearing seventy years old, still vividly remember the cheo play "Nang Sita," and the tragic love story between "Nang Sita," played by Thuy Hinh, and "Prince Po Liem," played by Xuan Giao, from the 1980s.
Mr. Lam recounted: "Back then, the Quyet Tien Theater was packed with audiences watching the traditional Vietnamese opera 'Nang Sita'. I took my whole family there, but we had to sit on the upper floor. Everyone watched intently and was very moved."
Dang Ngoc Tung from Phan Dinh Phung ward recounted: "I watched the traditional Vietnamese opera 'Saint Duom Duong Tu Minh' when I was 7 or 8 years old. This heroic figure from my hometown left a deep impression on me, perhaps that's why I later enjoyed studying History so much. Because I lived near the Provincial Cultural Center, my mother took me to see it from the dress rehearsal to all the performances. Now, in my thirties, I still idolize this historical figure, Duong Tu Minh, who was canonized as a saint."
Mr. Mong Dong Vu, former head of the Thai Nguyen Cheo Troupe, who made significant contributions to the development of Thai Nguyen Cheo art, said: "The troupe has many unforgettable achievements. If the play 'Duyen No Ba Sinh' - Gold Medal at the 1995 National Professional Theatre Festival - was the first time the image of the Holy Mother Lieu Hanh was brought to the stage nationwide, then the play 'Dem Trang Huyen Thoai' was the first time the image of President Ho Chi Minh was brought to the Vietnamese Cheo stage."
The play made a big impact at the 2000 National Professional Theatre Festival, winning the Excellence Award - Special Award. Several other plays have also won Gold Medals at the National Professional Theatre Festival.
Like the Thai Nguyen Cheo Troupe, the Thai Nguyen Drama Troupe is admired by audiences of all backgrounds, including soldiers and civilians both within and outside the province, and respected by colleagues nationwide, as its plays and artists consistently win medals. In over 40 years of operation, the Thai Nguyen Drama Troupe has staged 45 plays, notably "A Love Story," "My Ha My," "In the Name of Justice," "The Blue Love Song," and "The Ninth Oath."
Prominent figures in Thai Nguyen's spoken drama scene include directors Duc Trao, Son Lam, and Trinh Tich; and artists and actors Thu An, Hong Son, Van Tien, Van Bo, Anh Thiep, and Kim Hoa... In reality, even without a professional troupe, spoken drama has remained deeply rooted in life for many years, enduringly and creatively. Short plays have always flourished alongside the vibrant mass arts movement.
To adapt to each stage of development, theatrical arts in general and drama in particular have also undergone changes in their forms of activity. Generations of theatrical artists are very happy to guide and pass on this art form to the younger generation and to the broad masses of people in the province.
Source: https://baothainguyen.vn/van-hoa/202510/san-khau-mot-thoi-de-nho-4264265/
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