HÀ NỘI — The classic children’s play The Blue Bird by Belgian playwright Maurice Maeterlinck will premiere at Việt Nam Youth Theatre on Thursday and Friday, as part of the cultural offerings celebrating Europe Days.

"This is the first time Youth Theatre co-operates with the Wallonie Bruxelles Delegation to stage one of the most popular plays by Belgian author Maeterlinck," said artist Sỹ Tiến, one of Belgian director Xavier Lukowski’s Vietnamese assistants.

"The play teaches children a significance lesson: that after being defeated, they will be mature. It will give young Vietnamese audiences a chance to enjoy an international-calibre production."

The Blue Bird is a mythological play written about the journey of two brother and young sister Tyltyl and Mytyl from a poor woodsman family who look for a bluebird to bring healing to a sick baby girl.

The play will be staged by Belgian director Xavier Lukowski and performed by the theatre’s actors.

"I’m happy to be invited staging the play in Việt Nam. It is great," said director Lukowski.

"I have never directed the play with so many actors. It is interesting for me that the Vietnamese actors are young, energetic and enthusiastic. They represent Việt Nam’s young, dynamic population."

"One interesting thing is that the playwright was a Francophone Belgian writer, but he was impacted by Buddhism and Hinduism. Therefore, it’s amazing to stage it in an Asian country. And it is also a wonderful chance a European director and Asian actors to share and exchange.”

Lukowski currently teaches acting at Belgian Royal Institute of Media Arts. He graduated National Academy of Performing Art. He has staged about 15 plays and made three movies. He has won awards at art festivals in Europe and the US.

The play crew include main actors Nguyễn Tùng Anh and Tô Bảo An; director assistants Như Lai and Cao Ngọc Ánh; set designer Doãn Bằng and a large number of actors, singers and dancers of the Youth Theatre.

Music in the play includes European classical pieces chosen by Belgian Daniel Buron and two songs written by Vietnamese Tuấn Nghĩa.

The Blue Bird will begin at 8pm at 11 Ngô Thì Nhậm Street. — VNS