CHÈO THEATRICAL ART – WHAT DRAMATIC TECHNIQUES ARE USED?

 Narrative – Chèo Theatrical Art gives voice to the farmers of Red River Delta, Northern of Vietnam.

What dramatic techniques are used in this Theatrical Art ?

Its stories differ from those of the classical European theatrical tradition, which evolved from Aristotle. Unlike European narratives which choose a dramatic event in the life of a character and follow it to its inevitalble conclusion, stories involving Chèo  characters unfold throughout the hero’s or heroine’s life. As a result, one doesn’t find Aristotle’s life. As a result, one doesn’t find Aristotle’s dramatic unity of time, place, and action in Chèo  drama.

Chèo  narrative method is not realistic but instead is based on conventions and stylization, similar to Tuong and Brechtian staging. Chèo Theatrical Art is also rich in folk stories and narration. These characteristic determine Chèo’s language. Early skits incorporated songs, danced, gestures, and narration. These characteristic determine cheo’s language. Early skits incorporated songs, dances, gestures, and speech. From these came scenes in the lives of characters. When combined, these scenes formed the body of the play.

Chèo Theatrical Art does not have the fixed structure of five-act plays, as is the case in the Aristotelian theatrical tradition. Rather, Cheo artist frequently improved during their performance. The play was extended or cut depending on the inspiration of the artists or the requirements of the audience.

Improvisation is important because Chèo Theatrical Art is an art form that combines speech, singing, dancing, and music to tell a story. Speech may be combined with poems and folk songs. Poems often have two parts and four sentenced, with characters displaying their own way of reciting lines. When singing, artists must pronounce their lines clearly (Cheo differs from Tuong in this respect) to express the character’s feelings. Unlike European opera in which a singer must memorize arias and perform them according to the directions of the conductor, cheo Artists are free to modify their songs to convey their characters’ emotions. The number of Cheo airs is undetermined, but according to estimates, there may be more than 200.

The minimum accompaniment for Chèo singing is two string instruments, the Nguyet and Nhi (traditional Vietnamese musical instruments), and a flute. Musicians use percussion – especially drums and cymbals – to add excitement; they beat small drums to maintain the rhythm for dancing and singing.