Puppeteers from 27 countries will participate in the fourth
international puppetry festival to be held in Ha Noi from October 10 to
16, said the culture ministry''s performing arts department.
A new show combining Cheo (traditional opera) and Water Puppetry is
currently being staged daily between 5.30 and 6.30pm at the Ha Noi Cheo
Theatre, 15 Nguyen Dinh Chieu Street.
Ghulam Sarwar Yousof is one of Malaysia''s most
distinguished scholars and one of the world''s leading specialists in
traditional Southeast Asian theatre.
Preserving and developing the traditional art of puppetry art in
Southeast Asia was one of main themes discussed at the sixth meeting of
the ASEAN Puppetry Association in Ha Noi.
A lack of puppeteers is threatening the survival of traditional
puppetry, according to the chairman of Viet Nam Theatre Artists''
Association, Le Tien Tho.
The Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Ba
Ria-Vung Tau Province is drafting plans to link up professional art
troupes with travel companies as it strives to new tourism
products.
Hai Duong, a province in the heart of the Hong (Red) River Delta, is a
famous tourist destination for water puppetry, a unique and traditional
artistic display in Viet Nam.
The Viet Nam Puppetry Theatre has staged water puppet performances based
on three popular stories by famous Danish writer, Hans Christian
Andersen (1805-75).
The Thang Long Water Puppetry Theatre in downtown Ha Noi now holds the
record for being the only theatre in Asia offering nonstop live
performances for 365 days, according to the Asian Book of Records.
