People’s Artist Thanh Ngan has been nominated for the Best Theatre Actress at the Mai Vàng (Golden Apricot) Awards 2019, organised by the HCM City-based Người Lao Động (Labourer) newspaper. (Photo from the artist's facebook)

Veteran performers Thoai My and Thanh Ngan work for the city's Tran Huu Trang Theatre, one of the region's leading cai luong troupes.

They have captured the hearts of audiences and experts in their roles in a number of blockbuster plays featuring their singing and dancing skills.

People’s Artist Ngan left a very strong impression in her role in Giấc Mộng Đêm Xuân (Dream in the Spring), a production about a cai luong actress working for a small troupe in the Cuu Long (Mekong) River Delta region.

Through her role, Ngan highlights the importance of cai luong, a 100-year performing art of the South, and its performers, particularly female artists who devote their life to singing.

“I always work very hard, improving both skills and creativity to advance the power of cải lương. My colleagues and I are trying to use our ability to revive the theatre," said the 47-year-old.

Ngan began her professional career when she was 18 and has worked hard to meet the challenge of luring audiences back to cai luong.

She studied cai luong with her parents, Hoai Chau and Kim Hoa, both famous artists from Tien Giang Province, who shared their love and experience for the art with the younger generation.

She has worked for leading cai luong troupes from Tien Giang, Hau Giang and Ca Mau provinces, and has performed leading roles in several hundred plays, videos, DVDs and TV shows.

Ngan has won several top prizes at national traditional theatre festivals and competitions, including Tran Huu Trang Awards in 1996 and HTV Awards in 2010 by HCM City Theatre’s Association and HCM Television.

“Ngan has worked to demonstrate her own personal style on stage, combining traditional and modern performance styles," said People’s Artist and theatre director Tran Ngoc Giau.

Unlike Ngan, Thoai My improved her skills with her sister, Thoai Mieu, a cai luong star in the 1980s and 90s. The 13-year-old My was the youngest and most talented actor of Tran Huu Trang Theatre in 1982.

She organised two live shows featuring the country’s historical plays in 2005 and 2007 in HCM City. Her events attracted more than 20,000 people.

My has travelled around the region to promote cai luong among young people.

“Like many of my friends, my love for cai luong came from lullabies sung by my grandmother and mother,” said My, one of four actresses to compete for Theatre Best Actress of the Year at Mai Vàng Awards this year.

My performed well in the drama play Diều Ơi (The Kite), a work staged by the 5B Small Theatre, one of the city’s leading private drama troupes.

In the play, My plays a rural woman who faces challenges to protect her children.

"Through Mai Vàng Awards, we want to encourage artists in different fields of theatre, movie, and television,” said Thanh Hiep, a member of the awards’ organising board.

According to Hiep, Ngan and My will compete with young actresses Kha Nhu and Dieu Nhi, both of whom work in drama, for the Best Theatre Actress at Mai Vàng Awards 2019.

“If Mai Vàng Awards go to a cai luong artist, we hope she will continue to work creatively to preserve the art," he said.

The annual awards began in 1995. It aims to recognise artists who make contributions to cultural and arts activities. This year the awards will be presented in early January. — VNS

By Thu Anh

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