VietNamNet Bridge – Awards for talented artists were given out at the National Cải Lương (Reformed Opera) Festival 2018, which closed on Wednesday in Tan An City in Long An Province.

A scene from Chiếc Áo Thiên Nga (Swan Coast), a historical play staged by the Viet Nam Cai Luong Theatre of Ha Noi, won the Golden Prize for Best Play and for Best Director at the 2018 National Cai Luong (reformed opera) Festival in Long An Province yesterday.— Photo courtesy of the producer

People’s Artist and female theatre director Hoang Quynh Mai brought home the Best Director award for her works Chiếc Áo Thiên Nga (Swan Coat) and Kiếp Tằm (Fate of a Singer), both of which shared the Golden Prize for Best Play.

Chiếc Áo Thiên Nga was staged by the Viet Nam Cai Luong Theatre of Ha Noi, while Kiếp Tằm was a production by Quang Ninh Traditional Art Troupe of Quang Ninh Province.

The Golden Prize for Best Play also went to leading theatres in the southern region, including Tran Huu Trang Cai Luong Theatre and Thế Giới Trẻ Theatre of HCM City, Long An Province Cai Luong Theatre and Dong Nai Province Traditional Art Theatre.

Giới Trẻ Theatre’s Tổ Quốc Nơi Cuối Con Đường (The Country), a drama staged by young actors, left a strong impression on audiences.

The play is based on true stories about soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the country’s independence.   

The producer, HCM City University of Theatre & Cinematography, invested several hundred million dong in costumes as well as sound and light effects.

They also used a music troupe to perform live on stage instead of playing recorded music, which is the norm in cai luong.

Long An Province Cai Luong Theatre’s Cuộc Đời Của Mẹ (Life of the Mother) brought home a Golden Prize for Best Play and Best Scriptwriter for veteran authors Hoang Song Viet and Trieu Trung Kien.  

Organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the 14-day event attracted 25 theatres and troupes, including eight private troupes, most of them from HCM City and provinces in the Mekong Delta region.

Several hundred veterans and young performers were featured in 32 historical and social plays.  

The organiser presented the Golden Prize for 49 of the best actors and best actresses, many of them young talents at provincial theatres.     

The event also included forums and seminars on the art.  

"Through the festival, we hope to draw theatre lovers back to cai luong, one of the country’s three traditional arts along with tuong (classical drama) of the central region and cheo (traditional opera) of the north,” said People’s Artist Le Tien Tho, chairman of the Viet Nam Theatre’s Association, and a member of the festival’s organising board.

“We want to encourage young talents, especially those working in directing and writing, to devote their lives to art,” he said.

A five-day festival celebrating 99 years of the song Dạ Cổ Hoài Lang (Night Drumbeats for the Absent Husband), that also honours cải lương (reformed opera) kicked off yesterday in the Cuu Long (Mekong) Delta province of Bac Lieu.

The song was composed in 1919 by Cao Van Lau (1982-1976), a native of the province. It tells of the love, anguish and pride of a young woman who awaits her husband’s return from the battlefield as she listens to the sounds of war drums.

The festival will include a gala featuring performances of cai luong and tai tu (southern folk singing) music at the Cao Van Lau Theatre. More than 200 artists of traditional art troupes from Bac Lieu, HCM City and neighbouring provinces will perform at the show.

There will also be a tai tu music contest, cai luong performances, a seminar on preserving traditional performance arts, and a tourism promotion seminar during the event.

The organisers will host a cultural exchange activity between the province and the northern province of Bac Ninh, home of quan ho (love duet).

Two artists from the province will introduce performances of tai tu music and quan ho, which have been designated intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO, and traditional dances as well.

The songs have been performed thousands of times by generations of singers and cai luong musicians.

Dạ Cổ Hoài Lang was known as the first vọng cổ song, which quickly became popular across Vietnam.

Vọng cổ songs are sung by southern farmers after working in the fields. The songs, which feature the feelings, dreams and hopes of people, are often used in cai luong.

Dạ Cổ Hoài Lang has been performed by generations of singers. Its title is also used for a cai luong play, drama and movie, in which the song is used to highlight nostalgia.

The plays and the film have impressed local and foreign audiences, especially Vietnamese living in other countries. 

Source: VNS