LEGENDARY: Huyền Thoại Tình Yêu (The Legend of Love), about love, heroism and karma, won the 2023 Southern Dù Kê Theatre Festival held from April 1-7 in Trà Vinh Province. — Photo taken from video

TRÀ VINH — The Cao Văn Lầu Theatre of Bạc Liêu Province won the golden medal for Best Play at the 2023 Southern Dù Kê Theatre Festival that closed on Friday at Trà Vinh University in the Cửu Long (Mekong) River Delta province of Trà Vinh.

The play, Huyền Thoại Tình Yêu (The Legend of Love), which was written by playwright Thạch Thiệu and directed by Meritorious Artist Thạch Mô Ly, highlights love, bravery, heroism, and karma.

The work features love between a princess and a brave hunter, who overcome many challenges and obstacles to be together.

The Cao Văn Lầu Theatre also brought home prizes for best performers and best composer.

The 2023 Southern Dù Kê Theatre Festival was co-orgaginsed by the Việt Nam Theatre Artists’ Association and Trà Vinh from April 1-7.

The event aimed to preserve and promote dù kê, a unique style of musical theatre created by the Khmer people in the South in the early 20th century.

The festival attracted 13 State-owned and private troupes in the region, such as Ánh Bình Minh and Raskmây Khmer art troupes of Trà Vinh and the Sóc Trăng Province Khmer Art Troupe, and more than 500 performers.

The artists in traditional Khmer costumes performed plays based on the religions, traditional customs and culture of the Khmer, poetry based on Indian epics such as the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, and even today's social issues.

People’s Artist Trịnh Thúy Mùi, chairwoman of the Việt Nam Theatre Artists’ Association, said at the festival’s awards ceremony that all the plays in the festival reflect the cultural traits of the Khmer people in the South, depicting love for life, humanitarianism, and aspiration for a better life.

She also encouraged art troupes to boost investment in facilities and human resources to create more high-quality plays that help people, especially the young generation, learn about the traditional art of dù kê. — VNS