STYLISED SYMBOLISM: A photo captures artists of 'tuồng' (classical drama) by Photographer Nguyễn Hồng Nga. Photo courtesy of HCM City Photography Association.

HCM CITY A photo exhibition featuring tuồng or hát bội (classical drama), a Vietnamese traditional theatre originating in the 12th century, has opened in HCM City.

The event, Sắc Màu Trong Hát Bội (The Colours of Classical Drama), displays 65 colour photos capturing performers and plays of tuồng by female artist Nguyễn Hồng Nga.

The traditional instruments and clothes used in tuồng are also featured.

The works are printed on canvases of 50cmx70cm, and come from Nga’s different collections.

Highlighted works feature veteran artists from the HCM City Hát Bội Theatre, who perform in famous historical plays such as Trưng Trắc- Trưng Nhị (The Trưng Sisters) and San Hậu (The Reign).

In these pictures, tuồng performers are lively and wear black and red make-up on their faces.

“My photos provide viewers with the knowledge of tuồng, a symbolic form of Vietnamese theatre that originated in the central region and expanded in southern Việt Nam, particularly in the Mekong River Delta provinces,” said 65-year-old Nga, who has more than 20 years of working in theatre photography.

Nga has organised several solo exhibitions featuring the different forms of Vietnamese theatre, such as tuồng, cải lương (reformed opera) and water puppetry.

She released a book on traditional theatre of the South called 10 Năm Sân Khấu Trong Tôi ( My Ten Years Working in Theatre Photography) in 1998.

“Nga’s photos at Sắc Màu Trong Hát Bội help people learn more about tuồng and how the art is still developed over the decades,” said Đoàn Hoài Trung, chairman of the HCM City Photography Association.

“Nga’s art will enhance visitors' love and knowledge about Vietnamese theatre.”

CELEBRATING TUỒNG: Photographer Nguyễn Hồng Nga (left) introduces her works at an exhibition in HCM City. The event displays Nga’s 65 colour photos capturing performers of 'tuồng' (classical drama). Photo courtesy of HCM City Photography Association.

Tuồng developed from a folk art into a royal art in the 17th century. Along with traditional arts such as chèo (traditional opera) in the north and cải lương (reformed opera) in the south, tuồng has contributed to the Vietnamese cultural heritage..

The art, which consists of singing and dancing accompanied by music, is highly stylised and filled with symbolism.

It became particularly popular in the 1990s and is often performed at ceremonies and festivals at temples and pagodas in central and southern provinces.

Tuồng performers wear costumes sometimes weighing up to 10 kilos, from the fingers and elbows to all of the muscles, to perform movements while singing on stage.

The exhibition will close on November 22 at 184 Nam Kỳ Khởi Nghĩa Street in District 3. VNS