Chèo Theatrical Art and Chèo villages in Vietnam
Which is one of the most
successful Chèo village troupes?
Thiết Trụ Village Troupe, Bình
Minh Commune (Hưng Yên province), is located sixty kilometers far from southeast
of Hanoi . The
audience always fills the courtyard of the communal house by late afternoon,
hours be fore the troupe stages its show. Spectators who arrive just before the
curtain rises have to watch from the courtyard banyan tree or from atop the
communal house gate.
The Thiết Trụ Chèo Troupe, all of
whose members are volunteers, was formed in the 1960s. It performed not only
for commune residents but also travelled to play for audiences in other
locations. The troupe won high prizes whenever it entered a theatrical contest.
However, the troupe stopped performing after 1975, when economic conditions
became extremely difficult, because its members were too busy making a living. However,
from time to time, the artists gathered to recall the past and sing classic Chèo
song.
The troupe revived in 1996 when Thiết
Trụ village implemented its project “Cultural
Village
Watching their skilful
performance, one can hardly believe the artists on the stage at night are
farmers who look in the rice paddies by day.
The group members sacrifice for Chèo.
Nguyễn Thị Xuất, who sells rice pancakes (bánh cuốn), prepare the cakes for the
next day’s market late at night, after she has practices Chèo with the troupe. Another
group member, Lan, sells ceramics in Hanoi
but always returns in time for rehearsals. Mrs. Huế tours with the group to faraway
locations even though she has to be home with her three-month-old daughter by
the day’s end. Nguyễn Văn Viện is busy with his work at the district office,
but he has never refused a role.
Lê Văn Đức, playwright for the
group, explains his love for Chèo: “I write scripts because I like Chèo and
because my wife encourages me to do so.” His wife, Mẽ, is the least actress and
deputy head of the group. Đức has written ten scripts, winning numerous prizes for
two of them. Đức’s granddaughter is only five years old, but she ca Chèo songs correctly.
The future of the village troupe will depend on such young singers.
The Thiết Trụ Chèo troupe relies on
community support. Villagers donate their time and money. The elderly built a stage
at the communal house for the troupe to practice and perform. The villagers pay
special attention to the costumes since these are very important for the success
of performances. Since 1995, the community has contributed more than VND ten
million to buy costumes for its troupe.
Once, while watching a rehearsal
of Love Story by the river (Mối tình ven sông), the village elders were not
happy with an actor royal hat and decided to buy a new one. They sent Tường,
age seventy-two, to Hanoi
to buy it. After he had bought the hat for VND 170,000., the old man suddenly remembered
that the troupe also needed new royal suits. He immediately bought two royal
suits for VND 300,000, going beyond the authority entrusted to him.
Even those who have left the
village to settle elsewhere contribute. A native of Thiết Trụ village, who is
living away from home, donated over fifty costumes, everything from a maid’s
uniform to a princess’s dresses.
By mobilizing community support,
Thiết Trụ village has set a good example of how rural villages can revive and
develop their Chèo tradition. If this experience is properly adapted in other communities,
Chèo is certain to flourish.
Comments
Post a Comment