The play “Once Upon a Time” was produced by the French Institute in Vietnam in collaboration with the ATH Drama and Arts Studio, with the creative participation of both French and Vietnamese artists. The work was mainly inspired by folk tales and legends such as “The God of Heaven” - the story about the origin of the world, “The Dragon and the Fairy” - the story about the origin of the Vietnamese people and “The Legend of Betel and Areca Nut” - illustrating the fundamental connection between humans and nature.
Excerpted from the book “Dam Nhat Da and other legends of Vietnam” by writer Tran Huy Minh, these three mythological stories are still passed down to this day and have one outstanding thing in common. That is the harmonious combination of imagination, the supernatural and realism. They are combined to create a colorful play, in which each story unfolds in turn and resonates together.
The play was created based on the cultural exchange between Vietnam and France.
Driven by the idea of a popular theatre that offers cultural and educational opportunities to everyone, French director Quentin Delorme wishes to take the audience on a magical, exciting journey through a theatre work suitable for all ages thanks to its diverse and innovative forms of expression.
The production brings together Vietnamese and French artists to combine their two languages, two cultures, their aesthetic tendencies and their historical and contemporary references. Through this experimental theatrical space, the two cultures are subtly blended.
“At that time, nothing had been born yet, the world was still in chaos. Then the heavens and the earth split into two, the sun and the moon were born, and humans appeared. They had to fight for their land, with the help of Buddha.”
Director Quentin Delorme has skillfully brought the audience back to the roots of a richer, more communal and humane culture through the re-enactment of classic Vietnamese fairy tales. Will the audience be surprised when familiar fairy tales are retold from a completely new perspective? By re-enacting three classic stories: "Con Rong Chau Tien", "Su Tu Ho Guom" and "Than Nui Tan Vien", the director not only wants to affirm the value of traditional culture but also wants to find similarities between Vietnamese culture and other cultures in the world.
The show is suitable for all ages and promises to take viewers on an exciting and unique journey through diverse theatrical forms.
"Once Upon a Time" is a place where everyone can find themselves, whether the audience comes from Vietnam, France or other countries, whether they are children or adults and regardless of their social status, because the play uses global cultural norms: music, video projection, comics, puppetry, Greek tragedy... Therefore, the work will be an interesting and exciting journey, brought through rich forms of artistic expression.
Featuring artists such as Étienne Rousseaux, Marianne Seguin, Nguyen Nhat Bich, Hayley Nguyen Ngoc Mai, Le Doan Thai Binh, etc., the play promises to take audiences on an exciting journey through diverse theatrical forms, combining sounds from Asian and European musical instruments. The play will be performed on September 21-22 at the Alexandre Yersin International French School, Long Bien, Hanoi.
