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History of the establishment and development of
Vietnam Puppetry Theatre |
The
Vietnam Puppetry Theatre was established on March
12, 1956 under a Directive made by President Ho
Chi Minh. It is a leading organization in the performing
art of puppetry in the country with its contingent
of experienced and skillful artists in different
areas such as directing, script writing, fine
arts, plastic arts, light and sound effects… Many
artists have received training from domestic and
foreign universities.
The
Theatre has developed hundreds of big and small
items and scenes under different forms: water puppetry,
rod, hand and string puppetry … The Theatre has
three arts troupes and has given performances to
spectators in all provinces and cities throughout
the country and many countries worldwide.
The
Theatre’s show is always the core of national stage
art festivals and has been warmly welcomed at international
stage art festivals. In particular, the Theatre
won the first prize of the International Puppetry
Festival in Prague, the Czech Republic in 2002.
As
the largest centre of puppetry in Vietnam, the Theatre
has trained and assisted many puppet troupes in
the country. For its great contributions and achievements,
the Theatre has been presented with many high distinctions
including orders and medals from the Vietnamese
Party and State. |
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Activities
of the Theatre: Domestic and External |
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Since
its establishment, the Vietnam Puppetry Theatre
has built and developed nearly 100 puppet
items and scenes (short and long). In addition,
it has collected, researched, restored and
upgraded dozens of traditional scenes or plays.
It has provided technical and material assistance
to local puppet groups such as Nguyen
Xa and Dong Cac (in Thai Binh province), Nam
Chan (in Ha Nam province), Hong Phong (in
Hai Duong province), Te Tieu (in Ha Tay province),...
The Theatre has also helped establish puppet
troupes for many provinces and cities such
as Hai Phong, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh, Dak Lak
etc.
On
Performances
The
Theatre has been present in almost all provinces,
cities, districts and provincial towns in
the country. |
Painter,
Sculpture
Artist
Vương Duy Biên
Director |
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It has given thousands of performances, serving
millions of spectators. In particular, the Theatre
has traveled to different localities to organize
its shows for children and ethnic minority people
in remote mountainous areas.
External Activities:
Since 1979, the Vietnam Puppetry Theatre has opened
its door to the outside world, organizing more than
40 overseas performance trips in 27 countries worldwide
such as Great Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland,
Denmark, the Czech Republic, Russia, Australia,
the Republic of Korea, China, Turkey, Spain etc.
In some countries such as France, the Theatre has
made nine performance tours. During its performance
tour of any country in the world, in spite of the
language barrier, the Theatre has been warmly welcomed
by spectators regardless of races and religions
and received great hospitality. Foreign spectators
contemplate Teu introducing the programme and other
items such as chasing the fox away to rescue ducks,
buffalo tending, flute playing, mythical animals
dancing, dragons spewing fire and fairies dancing
etc. The wooden puppets are manipulated on
the azure water surface and under glistening light,
offering many surprises. Puppet shows really serve
as a cultural bridge linking Vietnam and international
friends. |
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