More screen time, more opportunities for young actors.

The 2024 National Cai Luong Theatre Festival features 33 competing plays, with historical and revolutionary themes predominating. Notably, 12 non-governmental organizations are participating (compared to only 7 in 2021).

Give young actors a chance to shine.

Ho Chi Minh City has 12 plays competing, 10 of which are from non-governmental organizations. Many plays have attracted audiences, such as "Tay Son Female Generals" (Sen Viet Stage), "Lam Son Heroes" (Thien Long Company), "People of the Suburbs" (Song Viet Company), "The Man with Nine Death Sentences" (We Entertainment Company), "Legends of Ancient Co Loa" (Bao Son Company), "Heroes of the Southern Land" (Vu Luan Entertainment Company), "Exile - The Integrity of a Loyal Minister" (Hong Lac Xuan Company)...

A scene from the Vietnamese historical opera "The Heroes of Lam Son"

It is noteworthy that directors have invested in the younger generation of actors, helping them to shine through this festival. Vietnamese historical plays that received much praise from the audience include: "The Man with Nine Death Sentences" (directed by Meritorious Artist Hoa Hạ), which carefully nurtured the talents of Hoàng Hải, Thy Trang, and Thy Phương; "The People of the Suburbs," which further affirmed the diverse acting talents of Meritorious Artist Võ Minh Lâm and Meritorious Artist Lê Tứ; and artists Bình Tinh, Nguyễn Minh Trường, and Hoàng Quốc Thanh, who once again affirmed their status and popularity with the audience through their excellent performances in "The Tây Sơn Female Generals."

Another positive sign is that some public theaters participated with 2-3 plays, such as the Tran Huu Trang Cai Luong Theater ("The Epic of Gia Dinh Citadel" and "Red Coral"); the Dong Nai Art Theater ("Comrade" and "Sun and Moonlight"); the Hanoi Cai Luong Theater ("Xuan Huong, the Poet", "Thousands of Miles for My Husband")...

The units from the Mekong Delta region participating in this competition have also made quite systematic investments in the scriptwriting process, especially in creating opportunities for young actors to showcase their creativity with each performance, reaching new heights in their profession.

Many plays have made a strong impression on the public, such as "The Jade - Cam Thi Giang" by Tay Do Theater (Can Tho City), "The Son of the Melaleuca Forest" by Long An Cai Luong Art Troupe, "The Halo and the Shadow" by Huong Tram Cai Luong Troupe - Ca Mau , "The Sun and Moon Shine Forever" by Cao Van Lau Theater, "Behind the Sunny Threshold" by Dong Thap Cultural and Artistic Center, "When the River Rises" by Vinh Long Provincial Cultural and Artistic Center, "Before Dawn" by Bac Lieu Provincial Theater Association, "The Life of Rumdul Flowers" by Kien Giang Provincial Literature and Arts Association…

And the concerns

Nevertheless, the 2024 National Cai Luong Theatre Festival still faces many concerns from those involved in Cai Luong art. Alongside well-developed and diverse plays on Vietnamese history and revolutionary themes, there are too few plays on contemporary society that are relevant to today's life. This results in plays lacking the excitement and appeal to attract young audiences to Cai Luong.

Some performances were of low quality, for example, "The Jade Essence - Cam Thi Giang" was criticized as being more of a series of theatrical scenes than a play with events, situations, and character destinies. Or "The Unyielding Field" was developed from a short play participating in a folk art movement, then stretched out for a competition. Similarly, "Waves Rising in the Royal Dynasty" had overly simplistic plots and unengaging staging.

According to experts, future festivals should also focus on the technical aspects of Cai Luong theater, avoiding situations like the play "Waves Rising in the Royal Dynasty," where a curtain malfunctioned during preparations, causing delays. Or like the play "Legends of Ancient Co Loa," where the sound system repeatedly malfunctioned, making artists and audience impatient.

Unfortunately, the organizers neglected to hold discussion sessions after each stage of the festival. As a result, the opportunity for art troupes to sit down together, exchange ideas, and find innovative ways to make Cai Luong performances more relevant to today's audience could not be realized.

Those involved also expressed concern that this year's festival still lacked innovation in scriptwriting, and there was a shortage of contemporary Cai Luong scripts. Many directors still used outdated staging methods, with only People's Artist Trieu Trung Kien successfully incorporating shadow puppetry into Cai Luong.

"Many art troupes still follow the old ways, waiting until close to the festival to prepare, which results in low-quality scripts and performances," expressed Meritorious Artist Ca Lê Hồng.

Source: https://nld.com.vn/them-dat-dien-co-hoi-cho-dien-vien-tre-196241113202814127.htm