Political plays maintain foothold in heart of audiences

Hanoi (VNA) – The traditional Lunar New Year festival is drawing close, but Tran Quang Khai, an artist of the Vietnam Cai Luong Theatre, is still busy studying the script of a new Ho Chi Minh-themed play titled “Nuoc non van dam” (Thousands of miles for the Fatherland), which scheduled to make its debut on the Liberation of the South and national reunification anniversary.

For artists, performing plays about the Party and late President Ho Chi Minh is always a big challenge since their performances must touch the audience’s heart while still conveying the Party’s messages and policies most understandably.

Major and sacred topic

In recent years, cai luong theatres have staged many plays about the Party, history and revolution - a major, sacred and also touching topic for the audience. Many plays have reaped success.

Director Le Quy Duong, a member of the Executive Council of UNESCO’s International Theatre Institute, said major artworks in general and stage plays in particular always directly or indirectly talk about political or social issues profoundly and emotionally through their characters.

Arts are also an effective communication channel to help improve and develop people’s lives, he said, noting that it is necessary to differentiate communication via artworks from those via propaganda methods. The former is the work of artists’ hearts and creativity, while the latter is a task assigned to the communication staff.

Artists’ creativity must be respected when conveying political messages via artworks.

He believes that artists’ emotions towards political and social issues are the only condition to create unique and valuable artworks; they are the foundation of literary, cinematographic, musical and fine artworks full of political purpose, but still artistically emotional during the fight for national liberation.

Nguyen The Ky, Chairman of the Central Council for Theory and Criticism of Literature and Arts, said in recent years, in response to the “Studying and following President Ho Chi Minh’s ideology, moral example and style” movement, several art troupes have renewed many plays about the late leader. After making their debut and receiving the public’s support decades ago, new plays with new content and performance methods have applied the same methods, gaining good results.

“Hung dong”, whose script was written by Nguyen The Ky, has two versions - a cai luong version directed by Trieu Trung Kien and another using the Nghe Tinh folk singing directed by Le Hung.

Ky watched both versions and said he was touched by both, recognising the attractiveness of each.

Each form of art has its own way of conveying the intended message to the audience in an understandable manner, especially plays about the Party, revolution and President Ho Chi Minh, he noted.

Upholding history in special way

Director Trieu Trung Kien and artists of the Vietnam Cai Luong Theatre are going to debut a play titled “Nuoc non van dam” as ordered by Radio the Voice of Vietnam. Scripted by Nguyen The Ky, this play is about when Ho Chi Minh began his overseas journey to seek ways to save the homeland.

Ky said the play not only reflects the late leader’s youth but also features his parents, Nguyen Sinh Sac and Hoang Thi Loan - one who was always concerned himself about the Fatherland’s destiny and the other who devoted herself to caring for her family.

With the language of the cai luong art, these details will touch the heart of the audience, he noted.

Talking to VietnamPlus, Director Kien recognised the great pressure of working on plays about the Party, the revolution, and especially President Ho Chi Minh, since people have a profound love for him and there have been many plays about this topic.

The new play must leave its own impression and not be influenced by previous works, he added.

The director expressed his belief that plays with political purposes still have certain audiences who do not expect ordinary entertainment performances but wish to learn about the late President and experience historic moments of the country./.