'Fueling' reformed opera from both banks of Vam Co

Amidst the flow of contemporary culture, Cai Luong still quietly “burns” on the stage of the Vam Co Cai Luong Art Troupe. After the province merger, Tay Ninh is one of the few localities that still maintains an independent Cai Luong troupe, preserving the Cai Luong source not only through performances for the public but also through the mission of nurturing and training the next generation of artists.

The play "The Son of the Melaleuca Forest" was newly staged by the troupe, participating

Golden Memories

The South is the homeland of the art of reformed opera. There, everyone has heard or even sung a few traditional folk songs or "performed" a vọng cổ verse. The same goes for Tây Ninh. The Long An I Collective Reformed Opera Troupe was officially established in 1977 with the predecessor being the Trung Hieu Singing Troupe of the Ministry of the Interior, but since the resistance war, reformed operas and traditional operas with content criticizing and satirizing the old regime, educating patriotism, and arousing the nation's indomitable fighting tradition have always been welcomed by the people.

After the country was unified, artistic activities were gradually reorganized. Long An I CLTT Troupe was one of the prominent reformed opera troupes in the South at that time, with quite large facilities and equipment, and the participation of many talented artists at that time.

At the same time, private opera troupes were also reorganized. Tan Da Ly Opera Troupe merged with Vam Co Opera Troupe to form Long An II Opera Troupe and also operated quite strongly. After merging into Long An II Opera Troupe and being under the management of the Department of Culture and Information at that time, the troupe's political and artistic level was clearly raised, and it was admired by audiences inside and outside the province (Long An Gazetteer 496).

In 1989, Long An I and Long An II Theatre Troupe merged into the Long An State-owned Cai Luong Troupe, later renamed Long An Cai Luong Art Troupe (predecessor of Vam Co Cai Luong Art Troupe) and still operated independently, performed with revenue in and outside the province and was well received by audiences.

Recalling the golden age of Cai Luong in his home province at that time, Meritorious Artist Doan Du said: “At that time, the Troupe was still performing for ticket sales, was well received by audiences nationwide and mainly operated outside the province, performing on large stages and theaters from the South to the North. At that time, the Troupe still staged plays praising tradition and ancient plays focusing on art and entertainment to create harmony. The Troupe's newly staged plays almost all had the participation of People's Artist Huynh Nga and People's Artist Tran Ngoc Giau to participate in the staging. At that time, the scriptwriting movement in the province was developing, so many outstanding plays of the Troupe were staged from scripts by playwrights in the province.”

"Transform" to serve

Passing the golden age of Cai Luong, Long An Cai Luong Art Troupe entered a new operating mechanism of performing for people in remote and isolated areas of the province. At that time, the troupe switched from performing on large stages to "field" stages, set up on empty land in remote and border communes with extremely difficult and arduous conditions. With a love for the profession, the artists and actors of the troupe remained optimistic and devoted themselves to serving.

Recalling his tours to remote areas decades ago, Meritorious Artist Vuong Tuan recalled: “In the past, touring was very difficult because the roads were far away, sometimes we had to stay for several days, the living conditions were difficult, and there were many shortages, especially for female artists. But at that time, it was very fun, the audience loved the artists very much. Every show was packed with audiences even though the stage and seating were limited. We were loved by the people, invited to their homes, and enjoyed the local specialties.”

While serving its political mission, the Long An Cai Luong Art Troupe also focuses on selecting and training the next generation of artists, creating high-quality plays, participating in competitions and performances for professional Cai Luong, and winning many awards for both actors and plays.

Along with the general development trend of the country, the Vam Co Cai Luong Art Troupe has a "transformation" to prepare for a new journey, with a lot of potential but also many difficulties. The space has been expanded, performing activities have been more available, creating more opportunities for artists to stand on stage; but at the same time, there will also be many difficulties in logistics and transportation.

People's Artist, Master Ho Ngoc Trinh - Head of the Vam Co Cai Luong Art Troupe, said that from now until the end of the year, the Troupe will focus on performing activities to serve the people in the province, especially paying attention to remote areas, border areas, and newly merged localities. In addition, the Troupe will stage new plays to celebrate the upcoming Provincial Party Congress.

“Along with difficulties are opportunities. The artists of the Troupe will definitely work together to overcome difficulties to fulfill their roles and tasks well; improve performance quality, select and nurture successors, especially from talented young faces from the Golden Bell of Traditional Opera competition” - People's Artist, Master Ho Ngoc Trinh affirmed.

Up to now, the Vam Co Cai Luong Art Troupe has the participation of many golden and silver bells such as People's Artist Ho Ngoc Trinh, Meritorious Artist Ngoc Doi, artist Le Dieu Hien, artist Le Hoang Nghi, Phu Yen artists,...

Through many changes, the artists and actors of the Vam Co Cai Luong Art Troupe still keep their passion intact, persistently preserving and renewing the soul of Cai Luong in Tay Ninh./.

When Tay Ninh province was newly established, Long An Cai Luong Art Troupe was also renamed to Vam Co Cai Luong Art Troupe. The Dong Vam Co River is the connecting river of the province and previously, the province also had a Cai Luong troupe named Vam Co which merged to form Long An Cai Luong Art Troupe.

The name Vam Co evokes the typical image of Tay Ninh, the Dong Vam Co River, and also reminds us of the troupe's predecessor, contributing to preserving the artistic brand that generations of artists of the troupe have built up to now.

Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism - Nguyen Tan Quoc

Guilin

Source: https://baolongan.vn/tiep-lua-cai-luong-tu-doi-bo-vam-co-a198972.html