Theater world gathers on the anniversary of the founder's death

On the occasion of the death anniversary of the theater (12/8 lunar month every year), in addition to activities to commemorate ancestors, many art units responded to the call to support localities affected by storms and floods. At the theater's ancestral shrine (District 1) on the morning of September 13, Ms. Trinh Kim Chi - Head of the Artists' Association, Ho Chi Minh City Theater Association said that the association used 30 million VND of artists' money to pay for the death anniversary to send to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, to support people affected by storm Yagi.

Many places support disaster relief through performances. Hong Van said her theater used ticket proceeds from two plays.Stork's wing flower(September 13),Mother and lover(September 15), presented to the Vietnam Fatherland Front Committee of District 3. She was moved when all artists and students said they would not accept salary to contribute more. Actress Binh Tinh, representing the Huynh Long ancient drama troupe, sent 50 million VND after the performance.Fourteen Heroines.

My Uyen, Director of the 5B Drama Theater (District 3), said that one day before the anniversary, she sent a letter to her colleagues telling them to only come to burn incense and not bring offerings. The cost of preparing the offerings will be converted into money and sent to the unit's donation box. A representative of the Tran Huu Trang Opera House (District 1) said that they will only hold the ceremony on the morning of September 14 and will not organize a reunion party like every year.

Mr. Tran Ngoc Giau, Chairman of the Theater Association, assessed that this year, many places organized the ceremony more neatly and economically, reducing the entertainment and singing parts. "Without anyone telling anyone, everyone proactively supported and sent aid to state organizations, demonstrating a sense of responsibility to the community," he said.

As is tradition every year, some stages celebrate their ancestors’ death anniversary early, attracting a large number of actors to offer incense. At Idecaf - one of the oldest stages in the city, from the morning, about 170 actors lined up in front of the altar of the three holy ancestors. Artist Thanh Thuy said that after a year, she and her colleagues were happy to be together on the important day.

"We talked about memories from the early days of performing, hoping to maintain our love for the profession to pass on the passion to the younger generation," Thanh Thuy said. Over the past time, the 61-year-old actress has been working steadily, continuously participating in many "sold out" productions such asOnce upon a timenumber 35, 12 midwives.

After the Idecaf Board of Directors established the Youth Theater in 2022, the number of young actors of the unit currently accounts for about 70%. BB Tran said that on the occasion of the annual death anniversary, Idecaf is always one of the first places he visits. Every week, from Friday to Sunday, he devotes all his time to drama, participating in many plays such asLost in Bangkok, Green Snake White Snake. Recently, although he entered reality TV with the showBrother overcame thousands of obstacles, the actor said always towards the stage.

"No matter what field I work in, I still consider drama as the cradle to nurture my passion and improve my skills. I love the feeling of interacting with the audience, watching them laugh and clap in response to my pieces," he said.

Looking at the actors reunited, sharing the benefits from the "professional ancestors", the producer Huynh Anh Tuan was moved when the theater overcame many difficulties. Last year, the unit faced personnel changes, some key faces went to other places, including artists Thanh Loc and Huu Chau. However, many plays were still warmly received, especially the playOnce upon a time- performed this summer - reached 40,000 viewers, a record number for the season.

However, according to the Director of Idecaf, the most difficult thing about drama is still the creative story. To reach young audiences, plays must have a contemporary spirit and be current, whether the script is new or rewritten. "Many audiences today come and go quickly because of the TikTok era, tastes change constantly. If we don't update in time, we can easily fail," said Mr. Tuan.