Foreign artists’ passion for Vietnamese classical drama

PANO – Having  watched  and studied  many kinds of Vietnamese folk music genres, such as “cheo” (traditonal opera), “cai luong” (reformed theatre), “xam” singing, “ca tru”, and “chau van” singing, artist Alain Destandau and his wife Bétina Schneeberger from Monte Charge Theatre, France, fell in  love with  “tuong” (classical drama).

After 13 years traveling between Vietnam and France to prepare for classical drama plays, such as “The life circle of sand” and “Antigon Vietnam”, the French couple considers Vietnam their second home. Each time coming to the S-shaped country, Alain and Bétina are warmly welcomed by their Vietnamese artists who share their passion for classical drama.

Alain Destandau and his wife Bétina Schneeberger.

“Happy marriage” of rice and beefsteak

In the cross-Vietnam tour in 2003, the French couple was enchanted by folk music performances, especially Tuong (also known as “hat boi”) performances in Da Nang, Quang Nam, and Nam Dinh. Returning to France, the sound and images of classical drama artists were always in their heads and urged them to come back to Vietnam to learn more about the interesting traditional music genre.

In 2004, the couple decided to come back to Vietnam and suggested carrying out a pilot program combining Vietnamese classical drama and mask theatre, in the play “The life circle of sand”. The idea received the strong support of leaders of the Ministry of Culture and Information (presently the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism) and artists from the Central Classical Drama Theatre, including People’s Artist Le Tien Tho and Hoang Khiem, as well as artists Pham Xuan Sinh and Do Duc Long.

Alain said that language barriers which challenged Vietnamese and French artists to share their ideas were removed after some beers and outdoor activities. They found many things in common, including their great passion for Vietnamese folk music that helped them produce a successful play.  “The life circle of sand”, directed by and starring Alain, was made public in 2005 in Hong Ha Theatre, performed in Hue Festival in 2006, and then included in the 2^nd Experimental Theatre International Festival in 2006. The play was an amazing combination of classical drama and mask theatre, and conveyed messages of the beauty of love, that life is short, the love among people is forever, and the good will always win.

Both Alain and Bétina had difficult but happy days traveling on Monte Charge Theatre’s bus with Vietnamese classical drama artists, to bring the play to localities of France, Morocco, and Monaco. Their efforts on these unforgettable days paid off as the play was highly appreciated by the audiences. 

Bétina said that the difficulties during the long trip brought them closer together. “We are like a big family. We live, cook, and work together and share stories about culture and families” added Bétina.

In each trip, the Vietnamese artists brought a cooker, water spinach, amaranth, pumpkin leaves, onion, and garlic, while the French couple brought beefsteak. That’s why Bétina joked “Classical drama is a matchmaker of rice and beefsteak”.

The ambassadors of friendship

Artist Pham Ngoc Tuan, Director of the Vietnam Classical Drama Theatre, who knows the couple very well and admires their great passion for Vietnamese folk music and creativity, gave them a compliment that: “Alain and Bétina are ambassadors of friendship”. Tuan usually jokes that Alain and Bétina are Vietnamized as they like to do what the Vietnamese do. They love to sit on pavements to sip iced tea and savour snail vermicelli soup and spicy vermicelli and crab soup served with fresh vegetables, and watch peddlers passing by.

Each time coming to Vietnam, the French couple rented a small house in Bat Dan Street where they could easily go to their working place, Hong Ha Theatre, and enjoy the special dishes of Hanoi.   

In addition, familiar things in Vietnam were brought to France and treasured by the couple. Bétina said that she loves taking photos of her small garden in western France which is filled with vegetables such as amaranth, water spinach, and bamboo trees brought from Vietnam.

Another special thing in their house in France is the altar. Alain said that when they were working with Vietnamese artists, before preparing for a play or starting a trip, their Vietnamese partners used to light incense to pray for safety, success, soundness and luck. They were told about the origin of the Vietnamese custom of worshiping the Hung Kings and their ancestors. Considering it a beautiful custom which is not seen in any Western countries, Alain and his wife decided to set up an altar in their house. On the first day of the New Year, Bétina and her nieces wear graceful Ao dai (traditional Vietnamese dress) and offer incense to pray for good health, peace, and happiness.

The love for classical drama in particular and Vietnam in general of the French couple is also shown in memoirs delivered at seminars and exhibitions on art in France and other European countries. Alain used to passionately tell stories about classical drama and his experiences while preparing for the two successful plays “The life circle of sand” and “Antigon Vietnam” to the participants.

Costumes of the artists in the play “Antigon Vietnam”, designed by Minh Hanh, were also brought to the French National Museum, the only museum in Europe that introduces and preserves costumes of famous artists.

For years, Alain, Bétina, and the Vietnamese artists helped bring Vietnamese classical drama to different localities of Vietnam, from Hanoi to Sa Pa (Lao Cai), Hue, and Ho Chi Minh City and even to other countries, such as France, Morocco, and Monaco.

A scene in the play “The life circle of sand”

The creativity and passion for traditional music as well as the continuous contributions of the French couple to the development of Vietnamese culture and art were acknowledged by Vietnam’s Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, with the “For the cultural cause in 2008” after the resounding success of the play “Antigon Vietnam”. In 2014, Alain and Bétina were presented with another order by the French Ministry of Culture for their contribution to the development of the nation’s culture and the promotion of international cultural cooperation.

In late 2015, happiness came to the couple as the work “Rice Crop”, written by Alain while taking part in a script writing camp last summer, was chosen to be put on stage by People’s Artist Le Tien Tho, Chairman of the Vietnam Stage Artist Association.

The work highlights the strength of solidarity of Vietnamese people in the fight to drive the invaders out of their country to defend it and protect their traditional culture. Through “Rice Crop”, Alain wants to convey a message to Vietnamese people, especially the young ones that they should preserve and promote what has been passed down by former generations. 

As planned, after Lunar New Year, Alain, Bétina, and artists from the Vietnam Tuong Theatre will start preparing the play “Rice Crop”, scheduled to be made public at He Festival in May, 2016.

Being neither rich nor famous artists, the couple consider themselves rich people as they have had a chance to meet and exchange with those who share the same passion for traditional art as them. “I have a beautiful life” says Alain proudly.