Japanese and Vietnamese artists bring Russia's famous play to Vietnamese audience

“Uncle Vanya”, a masterpiece of renowned Russian writer Anton Chekhov will be brought ot the stage in Vietnam by Vietnamese and Japanese actors.

A scene in Uncle Vanya by Vietnamese and Japanese artists. Photo theatrecentrewithoutwalls.org)

The play will be performed in Hanoi late next month and in Hai Phong and Quang Ninh later on.

This production is a collaboration of the Vietnam Youth Theatre and the Japan Theatre Centre Without Walls. In December 2018, Japanese director Tsuyoshi Sugiyama staged the play for the Vietnam Youth Theatre with the participation of Japanese artists. The team had to dedicate three years to cast the roles and build the set, and spent another 3 months to prepare for the performance.

According to Deputy Director of the Vietnam Youth Theatre, Emeritus Artist Nguyen Si Tien, the two sides have organized annual workshops to introduce writer Checkhov’s works to the Vietnamese audience and adapt his plays to the Vietnamese culture. In there last rehearsal for this year’s performance of the play ‘Uncle Vanya’, 15 Japanese experts in sound, light, costumes, and props were invited to support Vietnamese artists “We’ve done our best to ensure success,” Tien said.

Uncle Vanya is a play by the Russian playwright Anton Chekhov. It was first published in 1898 and received its Moscow première in 1899 in a production by the Moscow Art Theatre.