Arts

A place to preserve and promote Hat Boi

08/04/2022

The Ho Chi Minh City Theatre of Hat Boi (classical drama) was assigned the task of preserving and developing the art. After a temporary hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Hat Boi art performance program of the theater officially returned to serve the public at the Le Van Duyet Mausoleum and the Saigon Zoo and Botanical Gardens every Saturday and Sunday morning.

Those regular Hat Boi performances were originally organized every weekend at the Le Van Duyet Tomb (Binh Thanh District) and the Temple of the Hung Kings, in front of Thao Cam Vien, District 1. They were performed by the Ho Chi Minh City Theatre of Hat Boi in collaboration with partners under the direction of the Department of Culture and Sports of Ho Chi Minh City. The program aimed to bring Hat Boi to the public, as well as to entertain domestic and foreign tourists.

In order to ensure safety against the pandemic, the organizing committee arranged to have just over 30 people in the audience at the same time. That, however, did not prevent people from falling in love with Hat Boi.

Hat Boi is a conventional stage form, so the makeup is also special to clearly show the lines of the characters. Photo: Thong Hai/VNP

Artists have to dress themselves up to match the characters' personality. Photo: Thong Hai/VNP

The way of make-up, costumes and gestures are all clearly defined in Hat Boi. Photo: Thong Hai/VNP

“The Ho Chi Minh City Theatre of Hat Boi was assigned the task of preserving and developing the art of Hat Boi because if it cannot be performed, it cannot exist. At the Zoo and Botanical Gardens, the number of visitors is usually large. Entire families can learn about Hat Boi. In the future, when the pandemic ends and tourism reopens, this is an ideal venue to show domestic and foreign guests,” said Meritorious Artist Huu Danh - who played an important role in training younger generations.

Vo Ho Hoang Vu, Acting Director of the Ho Chi Minh City Theatre of Hat Boi added that during the four-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the artists actively practiced online, reviewing old plays, and choreographing new performances. Currently, the Theater has just finished staging a new play which is expected to be released soon after being approved.