HCM CITY— A new drama troupe offering drama and musical shows aimed at children and teenagers opened in HCM City this week. 

The 200-seat Búp Sen Hồng (Pink Lotus) Drama Troupe is managed by the HCM City Cultural House for Children. 

It offers shows staged by young artists and members from the house and art clubs managed by youth cultural houses around the city.  

Traditional performances of tuồng (classical theatre) and cải lương (reformed opera), two genres of traditional theatre in southern and central regions, are included. 

The troupe also offer traditional music and song performances.

“Our artists are working to create new shows with images, sounds and music to attract children and teenagers. We hope to foster a love of the theatre among them,” said theatre actor and producer Lê Hay, director of Búp Sen Hồng Drama Troupe. 

The theatre will offer drama shows based on Vietnamese fairy tales and historical events in October and November. 

 HCM City Cultural House for Children, the largest cultural centre for children in the region, is located on 11,655 square metres of land on NamKỳ Khởi Nghĩa Street in District 3. 

It includes five floors, an underground car park, and 40 function rooms for theatre, music, arts and sports activities.  

It has a meeting hall with 500 seats and a 3D screening room with 150 seats. Its outside area, decorated with trees and flowers, can serve 1,000 children. 

In 2017, the city spent more than VNĐ135 billion (US$5.9 million) to upgrade the house.     

Children, particularly those living in rural districts, are welcomed to enjoy quality entertainment programmes and festivals. 

Some programmes are free, while other performances cost only from VNĐ20,000 ($0.8) to 50,000 ($2) per ticket.

Along with many activities, short-term courses in dance, music, circus and fashion design taught by the house’s experts and artists from prestigious art schools are offered to children.  

Many courses in art, computers and foreign languages offer reasonable fees, between VNĐ300,000 (US$13) to 600,000 ($26), for one to three months. 

"My younger brother and I love to visit the Cultural House for Children in the city on the weekends and holidays because the centre offers entertainment for free,” said Mai Thị Thuý Vinh, 11, a student from the rural district of Bình Chánh. — VNS