Illusions ring the bell about mental health

Artist crew Chinh Ba (Theafter) and 5B Drama Theater present the contemporary musical Ao Quan on the occasion of World Mental Health Day October 10.

The mother who lost her child is constantly searching for answers in Illusion - Photo: LINH DOAN

Illusion will be presented to the public in 5 performances, on November 7, 8, 14, 15, 16 at the 5B Drama Theater. The crew is planning to bring the play to the International Experimental Theater Festival taking place this November.

Illusion : the pain of the one who leaves, the sadness of the one who stays

During the introduction of Illusion , many people were surprised to see that the stage of the 5B Drama Theater was "dug up" very strangely according to the intention of the author, director Chinh Ba and producer My Uyen from the drawings of two architects.

The stage "digs" holes from which rise up the beams like tall buildings, or the mother sits in pain, watching her child slip away and fall into the deep hole.

The play is thorny as it opens with the sudden departure of two young men. The one who leaves has his own pain, the one who stays behind, specifically the two mothers, also struggles to cope with the world, with self-torment as they keep searching for answers as to why this happened…

The majority of the actors participating in the play are young. They have spent two months learning to sing, dance, and act in an experimental style. However, the play is not only about singing and contemporary dance, but also about installation art, combining many elements such as screen, sound, light, etc.

The one who leaves has pain, the one who stays must also live in torment and misery - Photo: LINH DOAN

Director Chinh Ba said he only has a skeleton script, not a specific script. On that skeleton, the director and actors will create together to form the pieces.

Illusion is a work that breaks traditional musical forms and traditional ways of thinking to introduce new forms, conveying hot social issues.

The play has the participation of a foreign sound director, foreign songs have also been licensed to be used in the play, there is a private vocal coach, choreographer from singer Duc Phuc's Russian team...

Actors participating in the play must learn to sing, dance contemporary, and act in experimental theater style - Photo: LINH DOAN

Hope to raise awareness about mental health

To create a play about the psychological issues of today's youth, especially choosing a negative ending, is a very sensitive matter, so from the script writing to the entire staging process, the director and actors have researched and consulted with psychological experts.

Psychologist Phan Tuong Yen shared: "The difficulty of mental health is that it is invisible to the naked eye, cannot be located, it can reduce our productivity at work, reduce our ability to love and care for others, reduce our ability to take care of ourselves...

But mental health is often at the bottom of people's priority lists."

Ms. Yen believes that mental health is extremely important, especially in today's era when the number of people with mental health problems is increasing worldwide . Depression, anxiety and many other symptoms can lead people to heartbreaking consequences.

The crew shares about the process of making the play - Photo: LINH DOAN

Artist My Uyen and director Chinh Ba - Photo: LINH DOAN

Director Chinh Ba confided that those who make plays do not intend to advise, teach or surpass psychologists, but only use art to directly look at hot social issues.

Illusion is not a tragedy, but it opens the way for those who stay behind to live better from their own circumstances, to understand and comfort other hurt people, and to motivate those who are on the brink to think again.

People's Artist My Uyen, Director of 5B Drama Theater, said that experimental plays are often selective of audiences, but she herself always wants to have works as a contribution to the community.

Although it has experimental musical colors, Ao Quan is not too challenging for the audience's perception in the hope of serving a wide audience, especially the youth.

The crew hopes that the work will help raise awareness about mental health, thereby becoming ambassadors to spread their knowledge, helping those with problems to face and overcome them.

In addition to My Uyen, the show also features artists Hoang Ngoc, Tuan Kiet, Dai Chinh, Phuc Toan, Charlotte Thien Tuong, Manh Dung, Thien Bao, Minh Khang, Thien Qui...

In addition to the musical Illusion , the organizers also produced a series of satellite programs to promote mental health.

October 11 is the Opening Event: Can We Talk? October 25 is the Opening: The Story of a Damn Thing . October 1 is the Writing and Performing Workshop: Script for Understanding . October 9 is the Artist Talk event, an exchange between Ao Quan artists and the audience about the theme and methods of performing the play.

In the conversations about mental health there are psychologists, families with children with mental problems, or LGBT children... These programs are all free.

LINH DOAN

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/ao-quan-giong-tieng-chuong-ve-suc-khoe-tam-than-20251009074018752.htm