The first children’s international theatre festival will begin on May 24 in the Hanoi Opera House with seven overseas and domestic theatre groups taking part.

The programme has been co-organised by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Vietnam Stage Artists Association.

The three overseas theatre groups are Nakama from Japan , Sweden ’s Pantomimteatern Theatre and the Kabong Puppet Theatre from Laos . Vietnam is represented by the Hanoi Youth Theatre, the Thang Long Water Puppet Theatre and the Vietnam Puppet Theatre and the Hai Phong Puppet Theatre.

Their productions, which run until June 1, will performed in Hanoi ’s Opera House, the Hanoi Youth Theatre, the Pupils and Students Cultural House and Hanoi Children’s Culture Palace . The actors and actresses will also visit child patients currently being treated in the National Paediatrics Hospital on May 29.

Apart from spotlighting Vietnamese theatre, the event will help domestic artists to learn from international colleagues and find out more about children’s theatre./.