Tu Long shows off gold medal for 'lifetime' play

Artist Tu Long expressed his joy on his personal Facebook page when his child was loved and appreciated. He called this the play of his life, an important milestone in his career.

Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong and Permanent Vice Chairman of Bac Ninh Provincial People's Council awarded gold medals to two plays - Photo: Department of Performing Arts

Closing the 2025 National Cheo Festival, the organizing committee awarded 2 gold medals for plays; 5 silver medals for plays; 2 awards for excellent actors; 33 gold medals, 65 silver medals for actors and awards for creative elements.

The closing ceremony and award ceremony of the festival were held on the evening of November 2 in Bac Ninh .

Cheo stage lacks today's characters

Assessing the professional aspects of the plays participating in the 2025 National Cheo Festival, playwright Chu Thom, chairman of the Arts Council, noted that this year's festival's historical-themed works were on par with modern-themed works.

That proves that Cheo producers have paid much attention and are researching and experimenting with modern themes to bring the breath of today's life into Cheo as sweetly as Cheo has been successfully expressed in the fields of history, folklore, legends...

The fact that many young actors participate in new plays is a positive sign that the art of Cheo is being continued and renewed to suit the breath of the times, avoiding the risk of fading away.

However, according to playwright Chu Thom, the festival performed many ancient melodies but did not choose the right melodies for the right people, situations, or characters... In the plays, we rarely see people of today, such as shippers; soldiers and policemen who rescue people in storms and floods...

According to him, in order for Cheo to express modern themes well, it requires creators and artists to always renew themselves, know how to skillfully combine real life with traditional symbolic and figurative elements of Cheo, and at the same time keep up with the pace of life and breath, clearly portraying the personality of the new person.

The play directed by Tu Long won a gold medal.

Artist Tu Long received a gold medal for the play he directed - Photo: Character's Facebook

The two gold medal-winning plays are Nguyen Van Cu - Youthful Ambition (Army Cheo Theatre) directed by People's Artist Tu Long; and Thien Menh (Bac Ninh Cheo Theatre).

Artist Tu Long expressed his joy on his personal Facebook page when his child was loved and appreciated. He called this a "lifetime" performance, an important milestone in his career.

The two award-winning actors were Meritorious Artist Quoc Phong (Bui Van Phong) of Hanoi Cheo Theatre and Meritorious Artist Quynh Mai (Pham Thi Mai) of Bac Ninh Cheo Theatre.

Creative component awards include: Outstanding scriptwriter Tran Dinh Ngon (Xu Dong Cheo Theatre); Outstanding director Le Van Tuan (Hanoi Cheo Theatre); Outstanding musician Duong Thanh Nam (Ninh Binh Province Traditional Arts Theatre); Outstanding art design Dau Quang Anh ( Hung Yen Cheo Theatre); Outstanding choreographer Meritorious Artist Hoai Anh (Vietnam National Traditional Theatre).

Deputy Minister Ta Quang Dong (right) presents the award for best actor to two actors (middle) - Photo: Department of Performing Arts

Need to innovate creative thinking

Speaking at the closing ceremony and award ceremony of the 2025 National Cheo Festival, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Ta Quang Dong affirmed that in order for the art of Cheo to continue to spread in today's social life, innovation in creative thinking, performance methods, and investment and support mechanisms from the State are needed.

The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism will continue to accompany and direct specialized units to develop a strategy to preserve and promote the art of Cheo in the direction of both preserving the original and creatively adapting it to modern life.

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Source: https://tuoitre.vn/tu-long-khoe-huy-chuong-vang-cho-vo-dien-de-doi-20251103122407539.htm