Founded in 1992, Thang Long Water Puppetry Theatre is one of a fewplayhouses in the north which have no problem selling tickets.
Six years after its foundation, the theatre became financiallyindependent, as it no longer relied on the State budget to fund itsoperations, and began making a profit. Since then, the theatre has beenexperiencing a year-on-year increases in its revenues, from 4 billionVND (190,000 USD) in 1998 to 40 billion VND (1.9 million USD) in 2013.This has allowed the theatre to pay a puppeteer an average income of 15million VND to 20 million VND (about 700 USD to 950 USD) per month,depending on their seniority.
Theatre Director Nguyen HoangTuan attributed its success to the wisdom of the ancient ruralVietnamese, who had devised water puppetry as a form of entertainmentwhenever rice fields were flooded. "The art has become so unique andattractive that no other country in the world has water puppetry exceptVietnam," Tuan said.
Water puppetry is believed to haveoriginated from the villages of the Red River Delta in the 11th century,when the perfoming guilds of nine northern provinces practiced the art.Evidence of the link between water puppetry and farming can be seen inthe traditional puppetry guilds, which are located around the fertileland of the Red River Delta.
This area consists of numerousrivers and is often prone to flooding. Research by the Thang Long WaterPuppetry Theatre in 2005 showed that of the 27 active practicing guildsfrom 1955 to 1976, only 14 remained active and most of them couldn'tmake a living by performing the art. Le Tien Tho, President of VietnamStage Artists Association, said that traditional puppetry guilds were indanger of becoming extinct because many young people no longer wantedto perform the art.
Low audience attendance and the high costof making sets of puppets are the main reasons behind the guilds'decline. Tuan said it would cost the theatre 100 million VND to 120million VND (4,800 USD to 5,700 USD) every four months to make more than100 puppets. Thus, it would be a waste if the guilds spent such a hugeamount of money for their puppet shows.
Meanwhile, the numberof guild performances was far too few to compensate for their spending,Tuan added. Having the advantage of a good location in the centre ofHanoi also helps the theatre win its laurels. Since domestic operatorsusually offer competively-priced packages to tourists who want to visitthe most popular sites near the area, there is no doubt that the ThangLong Theatre has since become one of the capital city's most populartourist attractions.
Last year, the theatre was recognised asunique in Asia for having performed water puppetry shows for 365consecutive days, Tuan noted. Although water puppetry is unique andindigenous to Vietnam, it has yet to be recognised as an intangibleworld cultural heritage.
Puppetry artist Phan Thanh Liemrecalled an informed source telling him that the recognition couldn't becarried out because Vietnam lacked sufficient historical evidence toprove the uniqueness and indigenousness of the art. According to Tuan,the oldest record mentioning water puppetry is the inscriptions on astone stele dating from 1121. The stele can be found at Doi Son Pagodain Duy Tien district, Ha Nam province, about 50km from Hanoi. Itdescribes a scene: "A golden tortoise with three mountains on its shellwas seen on the rippling surface of the water. It showed both itscarapace and four legs. The cavern's entrance opened and fairies in theplay appeared. Flocks of precious birds and herds of animals sang anddanced." "It may take years for the art to receive the UN cultureagency's recognition, but preparation for this should be done now," Tuansaid.-VNA
Six years after its foundation, the theatre became financiallyindependent, as it no longer relied on the State budget to fund itsoperations, and began making a profit. Since then, the theatre has beenexperiencing a year-on-year increases in its revenues, from 4 billionVND (190,000 USD) in 1998 to 40 billion VND (1.9 million USD) in 2013.This has allowed the theatre to pay a puppeteer an average income of 15million VND to 20 million VND (about 700 USD to 950 USD) per month,depending on their seniority.
Theatre Director Nguyen HoangTuan attributed its success to the wisdom of the ancient ruralVietnamese, who had devised water puppetry as a form of entertainmentwhenever rice fields were flooded. "The art has become so unique andattractive that no other country in the world has water puppetry exceptVietnam," Tuan said.
Water puppetry is believed to haveoriginated from the villages of the Red River Delta in the 11th century,when the perfoming guilds of nine northern provinces practiced the art.Evidence of the link between water puppetry and farming can be seen inthe traditional puppetry guilds, which are located around the fertileland of the Red River Delta.
This area consists of numerousrivers and is often prone to flooding. Research by the Thang Long WaterPuppetry Theatre in 2005 showed that of the 27 active practicing guildsfrom 1955 to 1976, only 14 remained active and most of them couldn'tmake a living by performing the art. Le Tien Tho, President of VietnamStage Artists Association, said that traditional puppetry guilds were indanger of becoming extinct because many young people no longer wantedto perform the art.
Low audience attendance and the high costof making sets of puppets are the main reasons behind the guilds'decline. Tuan said it would cost the theatre 100 million VND to 120million VND (4,800 USD to 5,700 USD) every four months to make more than100 puppets. Thus, it would be a waste if the guilds spent such a hugeamount of money for their puppet shows.
Meanwhile, the numberof guild performances was far too few to compensate for their spending,Tuan added. Having the advantage of a good location in the centre ofHanoi also helps the theatre win its laurels. Since domestic operatorsusually offer competively-priced packages to tourists who want to visitthe most popular sites near the area, there is no doubt that the ThangLong Theatre has since become one of the capital city's most populartourist attractions.
Last year, the theatre was recognised asunique in Asia for having performed water puppetry shows for 365consecutive days, Tuan noted. Although water puppetry is unique andindigenous to Vietnam, it has yet to be recognised as an intangibleworld cultural heritage.
Puppetry artist Phan Thanh Liemrecalled an informed source telling him that the recognition couldn't becarried out because Vietnam lacked sufficient historical evidence toprove the uniqueness and indigenousness of the art. According to Tuan,the oldest record mentioning water puppetry is the inscriptions on astone stele dating from 1121. The stele can be found at Doi Son Pagodain Duy Tien district, Ha Nam province, about 50km from Hanoi. Itdescribes a scene: "A golden tortoise with three mountains on its shellwas seen on the rippling surface of the water. It showed both itscarapace and four legs. The cavern's entrance opened and fairies in theplay appeared. Flocks of precious birds and herds of animals sang anddanced." "It may take years for the art to receive the UN cultureagency's recognition, but preparation for this should be done now," Tuansaid.-VNA
