HCM CITY— Young artists of the Thế Giới Trẻ (World of Youth) Drama Troupe will offer three new comedies to serve theatregoers during the Tết (Lunar New Year) holiday.

The shows will mark the troupe’s eighth anniversary this year.

The featured play is Bao Giờ Mẹ Lấy Chồng (When Does Mom Get Married?), a production by young director Ngọc Hùng, with actors Diễm Phương, Anh Tú and Quang Tuấn, graduates of the HCM City University of Theatre and Cinematography.

Director Hùng uses both Eastern and Western styles to feature the play’s theme about urban women and social problems.

“I wanted to direct plays on a stage filled with light and sound and visual effects,” he said.   

Hùng, a reporter, theatre writer and director, knows how to dazzle the audience during and after performances.

“A stage is a channel for dreams. A director should be a mason building his own house,” he said before the premiere of Bao Giờ Mẹ Lấy Chồng yesterday. 

“I dreamed of owning a theatre even as a student at university,” he said, referring to his migration to the stage in 2009 when he and his partner, a businessman, formed the troupe.

Hùng has written and directed more than 20 plays on different topics.

Most of his works, which are stories about urban youth, have helped young actors like Thu Trang, Hoàng Phi and Tiến Luật become popular among theatre lovers.    

One of his highlighted plays, Chuyện Tình Bangkok (Love Story in Bangkok), has been performed 200 times since its initial show in 2014.

Though the play was about a well-worn topic, love, it brought new messages and included new concepts for the theatre.

Thanks to his contribution, Thế Giới Trẻ Troupe is one of the city’s leading private drama troupes, and is also a place for young actors to improve their skills.

The theatre has offered quality plays and has been able to earn a profit.

“Thế Giới Trẻ Troupe offers quality shows at only VNĐ30-50,000 (US$0.7) per ticket to attract young audiences. I believe in their future,” said Trần Thùy Giao, a fan of Hùng.

Giao and her friends say they enjoy serious plays about conflicts in life and love such as Dream Boys and Trai Yêu (Men in Love).

The comedy Bao Giờ Mẹ Lấy Chồng and other new plays will be staged every Saturday and Sunday in January and February at 125 Cống Quỳnh Street in District 1.

The troupe will offer free performances for the poor in rural districts during the Tết holiday, which begins on February 14. — VNS