Shadow of the Puppets script was nominated for the 2023 Patrick White Award for scripts, organised annually by Sydney Theatre. VNA Photo

HÀ NỘI — Việt Nam National Theatre Drama will perform the play Shadow of the Puppets on March 17.

The play was penned by author and art critic Vũ Hoàng Hoa who currently lives in Sydney. It was officially nominated for the 2023 Patrick White Award for scripts organised annually by Sydney Theatre.

Shadow of the Puppets is a profound meditation on family pain, same-sex love and the struggle to live as one's true self. In each person, there are always hidden corners, deep secrets that they always keep hidden. The tragic story of an unhappy family opens up human problems throughout society.

The performance uses puppets and puppetry, including the beautiful art of 'shadow puppetry'. Puppets and people have blended together on stage, being the character's body and soul, the light and dark sides, the pain and joy being released.

The performance is full of novelty in its expression. From the content to the staging, they play has a contemporary breath, breaking all traditional theatre rules. For nearly 120 minutes, the performance leads viewers through life's stages, back to the past, to illuminate the present through beautiful visual displays and physical dances that are sometimes lyrical and profound, sometimes turbulent and explosive.

The play director Tạ Tuấn Minh won Director Award at the 2020 Theatre Festival. The play producers include choreographer Nguyễn Duy Thành, puppet director Lê Chí Kiên and puppet designer Nguyễn Xuân Long.

Book tickets through hotline 0974292913. — VNS