Participants said that despite being born just a hundred years ago, Vietnamese theatre has absorbed the essence of global dramatic theatre. It reached its heyday in the 1970s and 1980s as performances lit up stages every night.
During its 100-year co-existence with other traditional theatrical genres, spoken plays have been able to reflect the reality of daily life in the country faster, more sharply, and more truthfully.
Though a century of Western theatre is something to celebrate, there is no doubt that COVID-19 has damaged the art form and the jury is still out on whether it can survive.
The challenges facing Vietnamese theatre and the solutions to bring back audiences were among the topics of discussion at the seminar.
Plays are a wonderful way to combine artistic vision while presenting contemporary issues and capturing the audience’s attention.
The Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism is planning to popularise spoken plays in 2022. It is hoped that after a century of performances they will still be able to flourish./.
