First HCMC Theater Festival 2024 promotes city’s theatrical stages

The event is one of the activities marking the 50th anniversary of southern liberation and national reunification (April 30, 1975-2025) and honoring outstanding contributors of the HCMC stage.

Highlighting cultural features of the city

A drama performed by the 5B Small Theater (Photo: SGGP)

The HCMC People’s Committee has delegated the Department of Culture and Sports in collaboration with the Vietnam Stage Artists’ Association (VSAA), the HCMC Stage Association, and relevant departments and units to host the first HCMC Theater Festival 2024.

Director of the HCMC Department of Culture and Sports, People’s Artist Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy said that the festival is expected to become the city’s annual event. Each program will focus on a specific form of theater. The first edition will be dedicated to drama, and the next festival will focus on cai luong (Vietnamese reformed opera).

The festival aims to seek good plays with high aesthetic value and creativity, and outstanding acting skills of performers. Through these works, the city will issue specific policies and directions to support the widespread introduction of high-quality performances to the public.

This year's festival attracts 20 State-owned and private theaters in the city with more than 300 artists. The event will showcase 25 plays covering a wide range of themes, including history, revolutionary tradition, literature, comedy, detective, social issues, and children. The works have a duration of 90 to 150 minutes. Most of them are new works created in the past 2-3 years and not yet presented at any theater festivals. The festival also includes a number of renewed classic plays that have been revived, promising to offer the audience impressive theatrical performances.

Diverse types of drama plays

A scene in the play, Thuong cong Ta quan Le Van Duyet- Nguoi mang 9 an tu ( (Marshal Le Van Duyet - Nine Death Sentences), performed by the Idecaf Stage (Photo: SGGP)

Among the participating dramas in the festival, there are popular plays such as Thuong cong Ta quan Le Van Duyet- Nguoi mang 9 an tu ( (Marshal Le Van Duyet - Nine Death Sentences), Con me cuoi cung (The last insensibleness), Canh dong ruc lua (The fiery field), Giang Huong, Me Coc phieu luu ky (The adventure of Me Coc), Colora - xu so ruc ro (Colora - the glorious land), and others which have been renewed to attract audiences.

The art troupes will also bring several new plays to the festival, including Dong Chi (Comradeship), Khat vong hoa binh ( Aspiration for peace), Ngay ay Cong Troi (The day at Heaven’s gate), Nu tuong rung dua (The female general of the coconut forest), Cu lao day song (The island with rough waves), Vuong quoc tam hon (The kingdom of soul) and more. Each play honors the truth, goodness, and beauty, the spirit of resilience and patriotism, and the value of sharing, empathy, and mutual assistance among the Vietnamese people.

According to the Arts Council of the festival, the plays focus on exploring the spiritual lives of the characters, creating a variety of emotional tones, deep feelings, and throb with emotion that touch the hearts of the audience.

Meritorious Artist Ca Le Hong, a member of the Arts Council of the festival, said that the event is a festival for the sector’s insiders who are so excited and enthusiastic to take part in activities and present to audiences high-quality performances featuring the strength and continuous development of the city’s drama despite the many challenges.

The festival includes various activities, including performances of 25 plays, an exhibition showcasing outstanding achievements and activities of the HCMC’s stage at Lam Son Park in District 1, exchanges, and others.

The opening ceremony of the festival will take place on the evening of November 12 at the HCMC Opera House. The closing and award ceremony will be held on the evening of November 29 at the Tran Huu Trang Cai Luong Theater.

By Thuy Binh - Translated by Kim Khanh