STRONG DEBUT: Sân Khấu Tài Năng (Talent Stage) Club attracts young actors, mostly graduates of art schools and training courses at leading theatres in HCM City. The artists made their performance debut in 'Sắc Xuân Gửi Lại' (Shape of Love), a 'cải lương' play on love and women, last weekend and left a strong impression on theatre lovers. Photo courtesy of the club

HCM CITY— HCM City’s Trần Hữu Trang Theatre in co-operation with its partner, the city’s culture authority, has opened a new art club offering cải lương (reformed opera) in the city and neighbouring provinces.

The Sân Khấu Tài Năng (Talent Stage) Club is working to offer shows of cải lương and tuồng or hát bội (classical drama), two of Vietnamese traditional theatre genres that began centuries ago.

It attracts young actors, mostly graduates of art schools and training courses at leading theatres in the city.

The artists made their performance debut in Sắc Xuân Gửi Lại (Shape of Love), a cải lương play on love and women directed by celebrated artist Lê Trung Thảo, last weekend.

Young talents Nhã Thy, Nhật Nguyên and Tấn Lộc in lead roles added modern styles to cải lương to meet the taste of young audiences.

“We wanted our club to become a place for people to enjoy cải lương and tuồng in a new and unique way. We hope our young actors will preserve and bring the traditional art forms closer to young audiences," said the play’s director Hoàng Song Việt, who is also a member of the club’s managing board.

According to Việt, the club’s artists will restage a series of famous plays from the 1960 and 1970s featuring the South’s history and culture.

New versions of the historical play Ngô Quyền và Chiến Thắng Bạch Đằng Giang (Ngô Quyền and the Great Victory on Bạch Đằng River) will be released in August.

“We will offer quality shows with images, sounds and music, that provide young audiences with wonderful insights about their history, traditional culture and theatre,” said Việt, who has 20 years experience in the industry.

SOUTHERN CULTURE: The HCM City-based Sân Khấu Tài Năng (Talent Stage) Club is helping to preserve and develop 'cải lương' (reformed opera) and 'tuồng' (classical drama), two traditional genres of Vietnamese theatre which began more than 100 years ago. Photo courtesy of the club

Ngô Quyền và Chiến Thắng Bạch Đằng Giang is a historical story featuring the victorious naval battle of Vietnamese troops led by Gen Ngô Quyền on the Bạch Đằng River in 938 against Chinese Southern Han invaders.

Việt invited veteran artists to help young talents improve their vocal and performance skills in the hopes that they will renew the art.

New shows by actors of Sân Khấu Tài Năng Club are scheduled to be staged every Sunday in July and August at Trần Hữu Trang Cải Lương Theatre, 136D Trần Hưng Đạo Street in District 1. VNS