The attraction of mobile Cheo shows

Elaborate shows

If mobile film screenings serving people in rural and mountainous communes are simple, performing Cheo art requires elaborateness with the participation and contribution of more than 40 people in the positions of actors, musicians, costumers, technicians, etc.

To bring mobile Cheo performances to rural and mountainous communes, before the performance night, staff of the Provincial Arts Theater must contact localities, survey the venue, security work, and propaganda on the loudspeaker system so that the majority of people can grasp the performance schedule and come to watch.

Each traveling show has the participation of more than 30 actors and technicians.

From early morning, the technical department in charge of sound and lighting must be present in the locality to install equipment at the stadium. The actors, musicians, and costume team will arrive later, more than an hour before the show to prepare.

On average, each Cheo performance lasts from 90 to 120 minutes. Although the time is not much, in order for the performance to be successful, dozens of people in the Cheo troupe have to work hard and devote themselves, and when they return home, it is almost midnight. Before that, every day, the artists have to practice and stage new Cheo plays to bring to the audience captivating, attractive, and artistic works.

Cheo plays and excerpts all have elaborate investments in script, acting, costumes...

Mr. Phan Van Huy, Head of the Department of Arts and Performance Organization (Provincial Arts Theater) said: “The content of the plays, excerpts of Cheo, and Cheo folk songs aim to praise the love of homeland and country, associated with the image of people and celebrities of the locality. For example, the performances “Student Trial”, “Story of Mr. Duc’s House”, “Story of Mr. Quan Mo” or Xam scenes… have higheducational and entertaining value. Notably, recently, the Provincial Arts Theater staged the Cheo play about hero Nguyen Viet Xuan. The work has been shown in many localities and has been widely received by the people”.

Unlike other folk art forms, Cheo is a type of national drama that combines singing, dancing, music, and drama in a very unique way. When performing Cheo, actors must demonstrate all the skills of singing, dancing, and acting to the music played by musicians using instruments such as drums, wooden fish, flutes, two-stringed fiddles, and thirty-six-stringed zithers.

The roles all left a deep impression on the audience.

The content of Cheo plays reflects the simple life of farmers, praises the noble qualities of people, criticizes bad habits, opposes injustice, shows love, tolerance, and forgiveness. Therefore, when watching Cheo, people enjoy moments of relaxation, but also have many experiences and thoughts about life.

Effort and passion for the job

According to records, there are performances that attract thousands of spectators, typically in the communes of Ngu Kien and Lung Hoa (Vinh Tuong)...

This shows that the people's need to enjoy cultural and artistic activities is very great. People show their affection and love for traditional Cheo art, thereby contributing to encouraging and motivating the artists.

Mobile Cheo performances always attract large audiences.

Because the nature of performing art on the move is very hard. Not only do they often have to travel far, but the food and drink on the road for the troupe members is sometimes overlooked due to being busy and in a hurry before the performance. It is known that the cost of each traveling performance of the artists ranges from 120,000-200,000 VND/person/night, in which everyone has to pay for their own food and drink, so most artists just eat a quick sandwich or a pack of instant noodles to be on time for the performance.

There are many artist couples who work in the same troupe, when they go to perform, they have to leave their children or let their parents accompany them from afternoon to night before returning home. Winter is cold and hard, summer is hot and uncomfortable, but they all try to overcome it. Because the traveling performances are often held outdoors, they depend on the weather. On clear, cloudless days, things are generally favorable, but on rainy and windy days, the whole troupe has to postpone, postpone, wait...

But in return, the performance troupe always has a large audience supporting it. The people go to see Cheo with an excited spirit, giving the artists the spiritual strength to sublimate and shine on stage.

According to the staff of the Provincial Art Theater, compared to other provinces and cities across the country, Vinh Phuc is a locality that pays great attention to the spiritual and cultural life of its people when it has a policy of mobile art performances to serve people in rural communes, mountainous areas, and industrial parks.

Currently, the province has about 105 communes and towns enjoying the art performance policy with the number of 2 nights/commune, town. Accordingly, the Provincial Art Theater will have about 300 Cheo art performances to serve the people in the province. This helps increase the income of artists, so that those who work in the arts can make a living from their profession; feel secure in working, creating, and contributing to the arts. Thereby, it also contributes to preserving and promoting traditional cultural values, orienting people towards healthy and beneficial cultural values...

Article and photos: Ha Tran

Source: http://baovinhphuc.com.vn/Multimedia/Images/Id/128771/The-attraction-of-the-crossroads