The stage needs to listen to reach far.

Only when the stage is listened to, responded to, and debated can valuable creations be born.

On July 15, the Ho Chi Minh City Theater Association will organize a dialogue program for artists: Hong Van, Quoc Thao, Minh Nhi, Lam Vy Da, Minh Luan, Binh Tinh, Huy Khanh, Mi Le... to talk about their roles.

Hear the audience speak the truth

"Dialogue Space: Performances and the Public" organized by the Ho Chi Minh City Theater Association has opened a positive feedback mechanism for artists on stages to listen, adjust and accompany the audience. People's Artist Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, Deputy Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Department of Culture and Sports , highly appreciated this activity of the Ho Chi Minh City Theater Association - when actively creating an information channel for audiences and art units inside and outside the public sector to have the opportunity to exchange and listen in order to build worthy works.

When the play ends, applause resounds for several minutes. But what remains, for the artist, are the eyes of the audience, the unanswered questions, the feeling that the audience has not been reached as desired. And at that time, the artist needs a place to listen to the echoes of the stage again, not in silence, but in dialogue. From the 1st Ho Chi Minh City Theater Festival - 2024 organized by Ho Chi Minh City, the program "Dialogue Space: Plays and the Public" initiated by the Ho Chi Minh City Theater Association has become an initiative of profound practical value, bringing benefits to both artists and the public who love the theater.

After many years of the stage being considered "one-way" when artists performed while the audience silently accepted, the birth of "Dialogue Space" was a turning point in thinking. Meritorious Artist Le Thien commented: "This space is very much needed and must be organized more regularly."

According to experts, the program is not only a place to introduce works, but also a two-way forum for plays to be decoded, shared, and criticized in a civilized and friendly manner. What is special is that the public is the one who takes the initiative to speak up; there is no longer a gap between artists and viewers. In the same space, the audience speaks their true feelings, the artists listen with an open, receptive attitude.

People's Artist Tran Minh Ngoc once shared: "A play that is only good in the eyes of the artist is not enough. It must touch the audience. To know that, professionals must ask the audience."

A scene from the play "Emotional Reunion" by Truong Hung Minh Art Stage won a gold medal at the 5th National Professional Art Stage Festival on "Image of the People's Public Security Soldier" - 2025

Reaching young audiences

Not stopping at direct compliments or comments, after nearly a year of organization, "Dialogue Space" has shown a deeper role: that is, to extend the artistic life of the play. In fact, many plays participating in the festival, although winning high prizes, cannot survive after the competition ends. The reason is because of the lack of real feedback from the audience.

At the upcoming discussion, the HCM City Theatre Association will ask the question: "How can political plays sell tickets?" This is not only a matter of revenue but also a big problem for a genre of plays that has a lot of material but is not yet attractive enough to the market.

On this occasion, 4 socialized art units that have just achieved success at the 5th National Professional Art Festival on "The Image of the People's Public Security Soldier" - 2025 will bring their newly entered plays to serve the audience in July and August, including: "Deep Night" (won bronze medal - Quoc Thao Stage), "Emotional Reunion" (gold medal - Truong Hung Minh Art Stage), "Another War" (silver medal - Hong Van Stage) and "Sugar-Coated Bullet" (invested by director Mi Le with the management of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Theatre and Cinema Association).

These performances will be followed by thematic dialogues, where the audience will not only watch and then leave, but will stay to discuss, ask questions, and suggest ideas - a beneficial reverse learning and creative process for the artists. It can be said that this is one of the rare models in Ho Chi Minh City today that allows the stage to approach the young audience.

Meritorious Artist Minh Nhi believes that each conversation after a play is a time to verify the work in real social reception. Artists know what they are doing and for whom. "The audience knows what they are watching and has the right to question. That is not only fairness between the two sides but also the foundation for restructuring creative thinking, helping the stage not fall into stereotypes or "confine itself in our hearts". We really want to listen to make appropriate adjustments" - Meritorious Artist Minh Nhi said. People's Artist Hong Van said: "We participate in this dialogue space to be listened to, thereby helping to improve our staging and acting".

People's Artist Tran Ngoc Giau, Chairman of the Ho Chi Minh City Theater Association, emphasized: "The stage space today is no longer a place for artists to monologue. It needs to be an open forum, where art stands before a two-way journey: the artist and the audience, to go together, to give comments, to sublimate together, to bring harmony from seriously staged works."

Source: https://nld.com.vn/san-khau-can-lang-nghe-de-vuon-xa-196250711212736447.htm