Northern Sound And Light

Culture Vulture

Department of Performing Arts Deputy Director Nguyen Dang Chuong, who was also chief of the organising board, spoke with Viet Nam News about puppetry and methods of preserving and developing the art form.

How did visitors react to the festival?

So many Hai Duong residents went to enjoy the festival that there were no seats available for visitors who came late. The water puppets were especially popular with children.

What about the quality of the performances?

The puppetry troupes have preserved conventional practices valued by older generations, but they have also improved their shows with new puppets, additional personnel, and enhanced sound and light effects. The troupes told stories through their puppets, making a deep impression on viewers. In short, most of the performances were great!

A few troupes created new pieces based on traditional principles of the Vietnamese art. For example, the Nam Giang Troupe portrayed a battle between Vietnamese resistance fighters and French colonialists.

The content of puppetry shows mostly focuses on the lives of farmers, but Viet Nam has changed dramatically. How should troupes change their performances to reflect modern life?

There are about 20 performances in traditional puppetry, and audiences find it boring to see them constantly repeated. The most important thing is for the artists to create new stories and use puppets to talk about people's present lives, while remaining true to the basic principles of the art.

Nowadays, few young people are interested in becoming puppeteers. What needs to be done to attract them to this art form?

It is true that only a handful of young artists took part in the festival this year. Vietnamese youths are not particularly keen on traditional arts, despite their cultural value.

Vietnamese puppetry originated in rural communities and reflects the daily lives of northern farmers. It is difficult for the younger generation to connect with puppetry and other traditional arts, because they seem to have little relevance to modern, urban life.

One of the purposes of the festival was to re-establish interest in traditional arts. We hope that State management agencies will support troupes so young people have an opportunity of carrying on the tradition. With government help, we can preserve and develop puppetry, helping it meet the changing demands of its audience.

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