A scene from “Ngày mới", a TV drama directed by Hoàng Duẩn. — Photo courtesy of Hoàng Duẩn.

HCM CITY — Local artists have collaborated with HCM City Television (HTV) to produce more dramas for the public amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Người Lao Động (Labourer) newspaper, some drama theatres in HCM City have closed down in an effort to prevent the virus from spreading. During the last few weeks, about 10 television plays on multiple topics have been simultaneously produced. Never before has the dramatic stage been this active and effective, experts have said.

As locals are now spending more time at home, the artists hope the shows will meet their entertainment demands.

HTV’s A2 Studio has been the main studio for shooting the productions. With an area of only 150m2, the studio can be used for four sets and scenes, including a coffee shop, garden, living room and kitchen.

“Siêu thị cười” and “Chuyện bốn mùa” are two popular drama shows. While each episode of "Siêu thị cười" is 30 minutes long and tends to satirise bad behaviour in society, "Chuyện bốn mùa" is 60 minutes long and inspires locals to live compassionately.

As most plays discuss current news, actors and actresses participating in these plays have to constantly read newspapers or watch news to fully understand the topic, actor Mai Dũng said.

For example, the drama “Ngày mới”, written by Phương Thuỳ and Hoàng Hạc, emphasises the importance of protecting the environment during this time, while “Sinh nhật khó quên” by Hoàng Hạc and Thảo Nguyên talks about the bad practice of lobbying for specific positions.

The two plays are directed by Hoàng Duẩn, with the participation of many popular artists such as Bảo Trí, Ngọc Lan, Chánh Thuận, Vũ Thanh, Thanh Tuấn, Hoàng Ngọc Sơn and Như Yến.

Other notable plays that have been produced recently include “Nỗi buồn gác trọ”, “Ông xã khoái nổ”, “Osin cao cấp” and “Đối mặt cao thủ”.

High quality content

After the first phase of COVID-19, HTV’s Art Department thought of using A2 Studio for production of dramas.

According to director Nguyễn Minh Hải, head of the department, it is challenging to produce shows without efficient planning from every team. 

“Many directors that have been together with HTV have been doing a great job in producing quality shows while ensuring safety among all staff,” Hải said.

Meritorious Artist Hạnh Thuý said the HTV editorial team was efficient in creating appealing content for each play because they were keeping up with trends.

She noted that the younger generation has many opportunities to collaborate with experienced artists via these shows. This is the time for young artists to consider participating in dramatic plays, experts said. 

That said, it is also important for the producer to come up with quality content and sets. The quality of scripts is as important as the number of the scripts, they added.  VNS