GOVERNMENT SUPPORT: HCM City’s Government is working to support drama clubs to help young artists develop their careers. Photo courtesy of HCM City Theatre Association.

By Thu Anh

HCM CITY HCM City’s Theatre Association is working on a new project that aims to support drama clubs in 2024 as part of its efforts to encourage young artists.

The project focuses on giving financial support to help drama clubs boost their operations and quality. Building mini theatres and public spaces to help young artists introduce their art to audiences is also included.

Seminars and forums featuring Vietnamese theatre and traditional genres of cải lương (reformed opera) and tuồng or hát bội (classical drama) of the south and central regions, and chèo (traditional opera) of the north, will be organised.

Under the project, short and long-term training courses for young playwrights, directors, actors, stage designers and make-up specialists will be offered.

“Our project is part of the strategy of the city’s cultural industry between 2020 and 2025 approved by the municipal People’s Committee,” said the association’s chairman and People’s Artist Trần Ngọc Giàu.

“We should give more support to drama clubs of young artists who have worked to bring Vietnamese theatre closer to children and young people.”

According to Giàu, drama clubs’ young members are working to build a special playground for children and teenagers and inspire the preservation of cultural activities.

HCM City has 12 drama clubs attracting more than 200 young members, many of whom are students at art schools and universities.

These clubs offer live performances of drama, musical and traditional arts of cải lương and tuồng. Thanks to their business, local youth can entertain, learn and understand more about theatre.

One of the highlighted clubs is Sân Khấu Tài Năng (Talent Stage) Club managed by the Trần Hữu Trang Cải Lương Theatre, one of the region’s leading traditional art troupes.

The club offers shows of cải lương and tuồng, two Vietnamese traditional theatrical genres that began centuries ago.

It attracts young talents such as Nhã Thy, Nhật Nguyên and Tấn Lộc, who added modern styles to cải lương to meet the taste of young audiences.

“Our club offers performances with images, sounds and music that provide young audiences with wonderful insights about their history, traditional culture and theatre,” said the club’s founder Hoàng Song Việt, who has 20 years of experience in the industry.

TRADITIONAL THEATRE: Young artists from drama clubs in HCM City have worked to preserve and keep the south’s traditional theatre alive. Photo courtesy of HCM City Theatre Association.

New centres for the youth

The association opened a theatre centre offering performance skills training for young artists in HCM City last year.

The HCM City Theatre Training Centre offers long and short-term training courses for young graduates of art schools and those who are working for drama troupes and theatres.

The courses are taught by professional artists, such as Meritorious Artist and actress Mỹ Uyên and script writer Trần Văn Hưng. The association’s chairman, Giàu, who is also a theatre director and producer, is included.

Cải lương stars Kim Cương and Lê Thiện are instructors.

The centre’s courses provide young participants with instruction in singing, music and dance before being trained at different performance levels.

They also learn to play tài tử music (a traditional type of music in the South) and sing vọng cổ (nostalgic tunes) and cải lương. The playing of traditional instruments is highlighted.

“Young members of drama clubs are encouraged to join our centre’s courses. They will be trained not only in higher levels of theatre, but in communication and event planning, and even in marketing and advertising,” said the centre’s director and Meritorious Artist Trịnh Kim Chi.

In 2022, the 700-seat Thanh Niên (Youth) Theatre offering drama and musical shows aimed at children and young people opened in downtown HCM City.

It offers shows staged by young artists from IDECAF Drama Stage, one of the city’s leading private art troupes.

Its investor, Thái Dương Performance Company, has received support from the association to develop their business.

“Our theatre provides children and youngsters with new concepts and techniques in drama. We also hope to foster love of the theatre among them,” said Huỳnh Anh Tuấn, a member of the theatre’s organising board.

The theatre’s shows begin at 8pm on the weekend and tickets are from VNĐ60,000 (US$2.5) to VNĐ300,000 each. VNS