28 plays by Vietnamese and international art troupes (Poland, China, Korea, Israel, Japan, Mongolia and Uzbekistan) of many types of theater such as: Drama, Cai Luong, Tuong, Cheo, puppetry, circus... all aim at the common goal of renewing the language of theater, meeting the audience's need to enjoy art while still preserving the traditional identity of the nation and people.

“Experimenting” from organizational model to work

Unlike previous seasons, the 6th International Experimental Theatre Festival in 2025 marks a breakthrough when it takes place in 4 localities. This organizational model helps the festival reach more audiences, creating opportunities for the public to enjoy professional theatrical art at home and abroad. At the same time, this new way of doing things helps many domestic troupes save on travel, accommodation, and prop transportation costs... when localities are making many changes in merging art units and changing their forms of operation to some extent; in which, many socialized art units have always faced financial problems...

Many artists from international art units said that the festival taking place in the localities is an opportunity for them to visit and explore the nature, country, culture and people of Vietnam. After the "Street Festival Performance" program of art troupes within the framework of the festival in Ninh Binh and after each play, what left an impression on foreign artists was the energy and positive reception of the Vietnamese audience.

A scene from the play "Tam Cam" by Thang Long Puppetry Theatre at the 6th International Experimental Theatre Festival in 2025.

As the host of the festival, Ninh Binh province considers this an opportunity to demonstrate its vision of cultural development associated with creativity, innovation, and international connection. Comrade Ha Lan Anh, Vice Chairman of Ninh Binh Provincial People's Committee affirmed: "The experimental stage is a bridge to bring Ninh Binh closer to international friends, to bring international friends closer to Vietnam. When the stage lights are turned on, when stories are told with creative aspirations, when artists join the beat of their artistic hearts, Ninh Binh becomes a meeting place of emotions, intelligence, friendship and solidarity."

According to Associate Professor, Doctor of Art Nguyen Thi Minh Thai, after nearly two decades of organization, this year's festival has gathered many high-quality works, bringing a serious and vibrant working atmosphere. The works clearly demonstrate the exploration, innovation, and experimentation of the artists, from the process of writing scripts, directing, acting to applying technology in fine arts and music . Some plays by international troupes such as Mongolia and Poland created a good effect on the audience when making maximum use of body language, clear messages, and skillful scene transitions. "The common point of the plays is the combination of traditional cultural elements and modern performance methods. That is the natural meeting point between the language of international and Vietnamese theater. Thanks to that, the professional exchange between artists becomes deeper and more effective," Associate Professor, Doctor Nguyen Thi Minh Thai emphasized.

A bright spot among international theatrical arts

During the two weeks of the festival, 19 plays by Vietnamese art troupes made a strong impression on the public and colleagues at home and abroad. Vietnamese plays have rich content and form, promoting the values ​​of truth, goodness and beauty.

One of the notable works at the festival was the Cheo play “Love Story” by the Army Cheo Theatre. The play honors the qualities of Vietnamese women set in the context of feudal and modern times. In the first performance, the message is conveyed through the character Thi Mau from the ancient Cheo play “Quan Am Thi Kinh”. She overcomes the Confucian barriers and the gossip of the villagers to accept the love of Mr. No (a servant in the family), fighting for personal happiness. In the second performance, the work tells the story of Vietnamese mothers during the war, willing to sacrifice personal happiness for their husbands and children to go to war, protecting the Fatherland. The two Cheo plays create a dramatic and emotional contrast. According to Colonel, Meritorious Artist Ha Quang Hao, Deputy Director of the Army Cheo Theater: “In addition to experiments in literary language, dialogue, and direction, the play “Love Story” has a creative highlight in music. The Cheo melodies still maintain the main musical vein in the work, but the creative team adds a layer of background music with modern instruments (electronic drums, electronic percussion, electric guitar...), and Western polyphonic orchestration. From there, emotions are strongly evoked, and the play becomes fresher.”

Appearing as a “special guest” in the festival framework is the play “Tam Cam” by Thang Long Puppetry Theatre. The plot of the work has been in the memory of many generations of audiences, now revived in a new form and entered the international arena. The play consistently uses bamboo as the main aesthetic axis. Bamboo is present in the puppetry, in the bamboo fences of the setting, in the loom, the carrying pole... making the stage carry the spirit of the Northern countryside, both rustic and graceful. Besides, the new point of the play is also in the use of the Cheo script as a narrative. The artists control the puppets, talk and sing, requiring high synthesis skills. Thanks to that, the play not only retells the folk tale but also becomes a beautiful encounter between dry puppetry and Cheo stage, bringing the audience into a world that is both familiar and strange, both folk and modern.

Many international troupes highly appreciate the creativity of Vietnamese artists, especially in quickly grasping the comprehensive performing arts. Artist Liu Chenggang, Technical Director of the Tram Hoa Ancient Fish Theatre Troupe, Shandong Province (China) shared: “When watching Vietnamese plays, we learn more about the thinking and sharp, seasoned stage language. Each work reveals the discovery process of the artists, which is something we really appreciate.”

The 6th International Experimental Theatre Festival in 2025 has left many positive marks: Lighting the flame of creativity for artists, keeping the flame of tradition alive with cultural identity, contributing to promoting international cooperation in the current context, Vietnamese theatre is facing many challenges in terms of human resources, funding, audience... To maintain the vitality of theatre in contemporary life, People's Artist Trinh Thuy Mui, President of the Vietnam Stage Artists Association, Head of the festival's steering committee, said: "Vietnamese artists need to surpass themselves, learn from the quintessence of world theatre. In terms of content, the plays need to directly address issues of the future, so that viewers can face the challenges of humanity, in order to increase the predictability and social responsibility of theatre art. In terms of form, we need to increase the language of action-visual, less dialogue, and minimize the stage. This festival is an opportunity for countries to exchange and share experiences for the goal of developing modern theatre, sustainable".

    Source: https://www.qdnd.vn/van-hoa/doi-song/vuot-len-chinh-minh-hoc-hoi-tinh-hoa-nghe-thuat-the-gioi-1014534