Irish George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion was staged by Vietnamese artists. — Photos courtesy of Hà Nội Academy of Theatre and Cinema

HÀ NỘI — A Vietnamese adaptation of Pygmalion has found its voice on the international stage, earning top honours at a major theatre festival in Beijing.

A theatre production of Pygmalion by the Faculty of Drama at the Hà Nội Academy of Theatre and Cinema won the Outstanding Performance award at the 8th Asian Theatre Education Centre Festival (ATEC) 2026.

The festival brought together more than 10 Asian and international theatre education centres, including the Chinese Central Academy of Drama, Shanghai Theatre Academy, South Korea’s Chung-Ang University, Singapore’s Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts, the Mongolian State University of Arts and Culture and the Mexican Institute of Cinematography.

The 8th festival, themed around Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw and his works, took place from May 17 to 23 at the Central Academy of Drama in Beijing.

Among productions based on Shaw’s works, Pygmalion by the Vietnamese artists quickly stood out for its distinctive approach, breaking away from conventional classical theatre traditions.

Under the artistic direction of Artist Bùi Như Lai, head of the Hà Nội Academy, and director Dương Thị Thanh Huyền, the production preserved the humanistic core of the original work while infusing it with rich Vietnamese cultural elements, creating a compelling East-West cultural dialogue.

Written in 1912, Pygmalion tells the story of the encounter between flower girl Eliza Doolittle, phonetics professor Henry Higgins and Colonel Pickering. Eliza decides to study under Higgins in the hope of correcting her accent and transforming herself into a lady.

In this adaptation, the director retained the original spirit of the play while changing the storytelling approach. Rather than remaining faithful to classical European staging traditions, this version of Pygmalion embraced a fresher, more dynamic style closely connected to contemporary Vietnamese society.

The set was minimalist, highlighted by the traditional Đông Hồ folk painting Thầy Đồ Cóc (The Frog Scholar). There were no scene changes and all actors remained on stage throughout the performance, creating a fast-paced, lively and engaging atmosphere.

“Although the original and the essence of classic English theatre in every line of dialogue and aristocratic gesture was retained, the set design reflected the spirit of Vietnamese culture,” Huyền said.

Young actress Nguyễn Minh Trà won the Best Actress prize for her performing leading role in the work.

While the story remained set in London and the characters and dramatic situations stayed faithful to Shaw’s original, audiences could clearly sense the rhythms and cultural nuances of Việt Nam through the Đông Hồ-inspired stage design, Vietnamese music, folk dance and costumes made from traditional Hà Đông silk.

Young actress Nguyễn Minh Trà won the Best Actress award for her leading role in the production.

The academy’s production Như Hạt Mưa Sa (Woman’s Destiny Like a Raindrop) by Lai won the Best Acting Award and the Outstanding Play Award at the 7th festival in 2024. — VNS