Hong Van tries to save the 22-year-old theater stage

The artist had a meeting with actors and the press on the afternoon of May 2, announcing the difficult situation of Phu Nhuan stage – a 22-year-old performance venue in the city. Hong Van said that the contract with the venue management unit has changed, forcing her to find a way to keep the stage alive.

Accordingly, artist Trinh Kim Chi will replace her with weekly plays. Dramas that have left a mark in the audience’s hearts such as Unmarried Witch, Ghost Wife… stopped performing, instead of more invested new plays. The plays will be built in batches, prioritizing performances on holidays and anniversaries. Skilled artists are required to sign a binding contract with the stage for a certain period of time, to ensure the quality of the work.

Hong Van will bring potential actors, who have participated in old plays, go on tour, serve schools. “I consider the Phu Nhuan theater stage as my home. Therefore, I have to change my management and operation methods. If I can’t keep up with the trend and demand of the audience, the stage will have to stop operating.” said the artist.

Trinh Kim Chi is sad about the difficult situation of the theater scene in Ho Chi Minh City. She said she would try to maintain the Phu Nhuan stage as entrusted by Hong Van. Trinh Kim Chi will maintain the stage dynamics according to the old method, combining plays from her stage to Hong Van’s performance.

Artists who have been active in Hong Van theater for many years could not hide their sadness when parting with old plays. Hoa Hiep said: “I just hope the stage is always lit. Those who stick with Hong Van will always support Phu Nhuan drama.”

Artist Hong Van established Phu Nhuan stage in 2000 to present. The performance spot was highly appreciated thanks to the combination of entertainment dramas, good sales, along with plays of artistic quality such as Magical crossbow, Red number, Chi Pheo, Industry for the West…based on literary works.

Trinh Kim Chi replaces Hong Van to maintain the Phu Nhuan stage

Phu Nhuan Drama contributes to the training of domestic actors and directors such as Duc Thinh, Thai Hoa, Cat Phuong, Thanh Thuy, Xuan Trang, Diep Tien, Manh Phuc, Quoc Nam, Kim Huyen, Hoa Hiep… In 2007, Hong Van opened a SuperBowl theater to serve the needs of the audience. During the two years of the epidemic, Hong Van’s stages suffered losses. Stage Cho Lon – opened at the end of 2019 – invested 500 million VND by her and Minh Luan, so far, the capital has not been recovered. Currently, SuperBowl and Cho Lon stages are closed.

* Hoang Thai Thanh stage re-enacts 10 typical plays

Outside of Phu Nhuan, the stage Hoang Thai Thanh also changed the direction of activities, only performing one or two new plays according to the season to reduce losses. For the past two years, the theater world has suffered heavy influence by translation. Last year, Hoang Thai Thanh stage only operated for a few months and then “frozen” until the beginning of this year. Director Ai Nhu – co-founder of the stage – once said that there are few works in Hoang Thai Thanh that are profitable, most of them just break even. Stage directors often cover losses to keep the stage alive. Because the money from ticket sales is used to invest in new plays, many times her family and Thanh Hoi have to use their own pocket money to pay the actors’ salaries. She used to worry that the stage would go bankrupt because she couldn’t bear the expenses.

Excerpt from “The Ghost Wife”

Chi Dung