Many "bottlenecks" need to be addressed.
During the exchange, Deputy Head of the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, Dinh Thi Thanh Thuy, recalled the golden age of Ho Chi Minh City's theater scene, especially its enduring vitality through periods of historical change, most recently the efforts to recover after the Covid-19 pandemic.
“After the pandemic, it was the spiritual strength derived from the core values that art brings that helped theater professionals boldly overcome all difficulties, actively pursue their profession, keep the stage lights on, and operate vibrantly,” shared Comrade Dinh Thi Thanh Thuy. Having been closely involved with the city's cultural and artistic life for many years, she also frankly acknowledged the “bottlenecks” of the theater today, highlighting the difficulties in the creative process.
For a long time, the city's theater scene has lacked groundbreaking performances that truly reflect current audience concerns. While some plays do come along, they only address a small aspect of life. Many new scripts are simplistic, market-driven, and cater to the immediate entertainment needs of the audience. Works with intellectual depth, humanistic values, and educational value are conspicuously absent. This has led to a situation where many producers, driven by profit, invest superficially and without seriousness in their productions; and some talented artists are careless in their performances…
The exchange between the Propaganda and Mass Mobilization Department of the Ho Chi Minh City Party Committee, the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports, and artists, actors, directors, authors, private and public theaters has partly reflected the shortcomings in the creation and performance of theatrical arts today. This highlights the need for continued support and collaboration from all levels of government with artists and theater professionals, aiming to contribute to the preservation of traditional cultural and artistic values and create opportunities for young artists to develop their talents.
Concerned about the current state of theatrical arts in Ho Chi Minh City, director Ton That Can, Vice President of the Ho Chi Minh City Theater Association, shared: “Ho Chi Minh City has many talented and dedicated playwrights, but theaters only ‘commission’ scripts when preparing to participate in festivals and competitions. Meanwhile, the remuneration for playwrights and directors in public theaters is currently very low, not commensurate with the talent and intellectual effort they put in. In addition, Ho Chi Minh City theaters are still missing out on international tourist audiences due to a lack of programs specifically designed for tourism with short durations and concise content, meeting the needs of tourists who want to learn about local culture. This is a crucial direction to contribute to the development of the cultural industry.”
Creating conditions for the development of the theater.
There's a long-standing but sad reality facing Ho Chi Minh City's theater scene: a lack of theaters for performances. People's Artist Kim Xuan expressed her concern: “When talking about Ho Chi Minh City's theater scene, people often mention privately-run theaters. And in reality, most of the theaters currently operating are privately owned. However, they are working under very precarious conditions; for each performance, they have to carefully consider where to rent a venue, how much it will cost, and whether the revenue will cover expenses… No one dares to invest long-term when they are constantly worried about where to perform in the future and how much the rental fees will increase. I and many other artists wish the city would soon invest in facilities and performance venues to support both public and privately-run theaters, giving them stable conditions for better and longer-term development.”
In addition, many stage artists also raised concerns such as: the need for strict regulations on artist remuneration, legal rights, and mechanisms to protect artists in their artistic activities; the need to tighten management of the quality and duration of performances after the City Art Council has reviewed them; improving the quality of training for successor human resources, supporting those working behind the scenes, and paying attention to the force of traditional art scriptwriters…
Source: https://www.sggp.org.vn/tiep-lua-cho-nghe-thuat-san-khau-post846053.html
Comment (0)