HCM CITY – Cánh Đồng Rực Lửa (The Battle of Fire), a play about patriotism staged by the Quốc Thảo Drama Theatre, has been named the best play at the HCM City Drama Theatre Festival.

The work is based on a true event involving 32 civil defence guards, mostly women, who transferred wounded soldiers to the backline and weapons to the frontline. All of them were sacrificed at Làng Sấu Field in Bình Chánh District’s Vĩnh Lộc Commune in 1968 when they were on duty.

The play features veteran actors People’s Artist Tuyết Thu, Minh Nhí, and Quốc Thảo, who have more than 30 years of experience in the art.

The organisers, the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Theatre Association of HCM City, also granted best play prizes to Tả Quân Lê Văn Duyệt - Người Mang 9 Án Tử (Field Marshal Lê Văn Duyệt - Nine Death Sentences) staged by IDECAF Theatre.

The play depicts the life of FM Duyệt, who was the Governor of Gia Định Citadel (later Sài Gòn and now HCM City) under the Nguyễn dynasty in the 19th century, and features talented artists Đình Toàn, Đại Nghĩa, Hoàng Trinh and Hoà Hiệp.

The festival which closed on Friday night, also gave prizes to plays Đồng Chí (Comrade) by the association, Giáng Hương (Women in the Theatre) by the Thiên Đăng Drama Theatre, and Cơn Mê Cuối Cùng (Internal Struggle) by the Hoàng Thái Thanh Drama Theatre.  

The festival granted awards for best actors and best actresses, best director, playwright, composer, and many others.

Nguyễn Thị Thanh Thúy, the department’s deputy director, said, “The festival left a deep impression and emotions on the audiences, showing the development of theatrical drama in the city. Many plays were welcomed by critics and audiences.”

Thúy said the department would create favourable conditions for art troupes to attract and train new generations of artists and encourage the artists to create more quality plays.

She added the department would cooperate with theatres to bring award-winning productions to serve more audiences, particularly those in rural areas.

The festival, held from November 12-29, attracted more than 1,000 artists from 19 State-owned and private art troupes and theatres, presenting 24 plays with different topics of patriotism, love and social issues. VNS