Can Tho hosts cai luong bash

Both young and veteran performers from 29 troupes across the country will compete at the 2009 National Professional Cai Luong Festival next week in Can Tho City.
Organised every five years by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the 10-day festival highlights new creations in the southern art of cai luong (reformed theatre).
It also aims to encourage and support young artists in developing their careers.
Ca Mau Province’s Huong Tram Cai Luong Troupe, one of the region’s biggest, hopes to impress the jury and audiences by staging Goc Khuat Trai Tim (Darkness of Heart), a post-war story about love and betrayal.
Directed by Tran Ngoc Giau, the play has attracted young artists such as Truc Ly, Hoa Phuong and Chi Tuan who have been working hard for the year’s biggest cai luong event.
"I believe the festival is a great chance for me and my peers to show off and learn performance skills together," said Hoa Phuong, a young member of Huong Tram troupe.
In Goc Khuat Trai Tim, Phuong, who plays a leading role, hopes to bring a new interesting angle to her singing and performing.
"Some people think cai luong is old, but I believe the art includes the breath of life. My show will prove my view," said the 23-year-old.
Big theatres from Ha Noi, HCM City, Can Tho to Bac Lieu are also using their young artists as well as veteran staff in the competitions.
The Ha Noi-based theatres Chuong Vang and Hoa Mai are pinning their hopes on new works, Le Mo Xiem Ao (The First Performance) and Khoi Ma (The Smoke of the Devil).
Director Vu Thao’s Khoi Ma is based on modern issues featuring people’s conflicts in love and work.
His competitor, Tran Anh Hung, plans to dabble in a very old story. In Le Mo Xiem Ao, Hung delves into a historical event under the reign of King Ly Thai Tong, from 1028 to 1054.
Hung has encouraged his young actors to learn about the characters as much as possible so their portrayals would be more compelling.
He said he had spent a lot of effort, time and money on sound and light effects and the wardrobe for the actors.
"Author Nguyen Khac Phuc spent more than 10 years to complete the script of Le Mo Xiem Ao, which highlights the beauty of traditional values in Vietnamese history and culture," said Hung, adding that his young actors wanted the stage to become more like a cathedral.
Festival organisers said they had received 29 entries in different categories from theatres and small troupes across the country.
They will vie for a variety of awards, including best play, best director, best actor, best musician and best stage artist.
The festival will begin on November 17..