Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tạ Quang Đông at the festival opening ceremony in Hà Nội. Photo bvhttdl.gov.vn

HÀ NỘI — The 5th International Experimental Theatre Festival, an important cultural event in the theatrical performance, has opened in Hà Nội and the northern port city of Hải Phòng.

The event co-organised by the Việt Nam Stage Artists' Association, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism’s Performing Arts Department and other relevant agencies takes place as the art world and cultural industries recover after two years of the COVID-19 pandemic.

A scene of the play "Antigone" by LucTeam Stage is introduced at the festival. — Photo hanoimoi.vn

The 12-day festival, which has attracted the participation of 16 domestic and five foreign troupes, will present 21 plays of different art genres such as drama, cải lương (reformed opera), puppetry and circus.

Speaking at the opening ceremony held at Tuổi Trẻ (Youth) Theatre in Hà Nội on Tuesday, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism Tạ Quang Đông said the event is an important activity creating opportunities for domestic and international artists to showcase their talents, expand cultural exchanges, learn experiences, and contribute to the development of theatrical arts in Việt Nam and the region during their international integration.

The deputy minister hoped after the event, Vietnamese theatre will have many new plays with new discoveries of staging techniques and artistic languages that help effectively present and solve current issues of life and society.

"In that spirit, I hope the artists will devote themselves to the shows so that we can have a brilliant festival leaving good impressions in the hearts of our friends," he said.

People’s Artist Trịnh Thúy Mùi, President of the Việt Nam Stage Artists’ Association, said that the festival is the most important activity of the association in 2022, allowing artistic exchanges between Việt Nam and other countries around the world.

It aims to improve art quality as well as encourage innovation and creativity in the country’s theatres, Mùi said, adding that experiential theatre will contribute to meeting the taste of the audience in the integration process.

Vietnamese and foreign artists on their way to the opening ceremony of the 5th International Experimental Theatre Festival in Hà Nội. — Photo kinhtedothi.vn

Those taking part are from Hà Nội and other localities such as Hải Phòng, HCM City, and the southern province of Long An. Five foreign troupes from Italy, South Korea, Poland, Singapore and Pakistan will also perform.

The first, second, third, and fourth editions of the festival were held in Việt Nam in 2002, 2006, 2016, and 2019, respectively.

At the last edition, 21 plays were staged by 14 troupes from host Việt Nam and seven others from Hungary, Israel, India, South Korea, China, Singapore, and Greece. Four plays from Việt Nam and Israel won the gold medals. VNS