Lao Dong Newspaper reporter had a conversation with Mr. Nguyen Si Tien - Director of the Youth Theater - about this issue.
Resolution of the 14th Party Congress identifies culture and people as internal resources, an important driving force for the country's development. What specific activities has the Youth Theater implemented to realize this orientation in the past time, sir?
- Resolution of the 14th Party Congress, along with Resolution No. 80 on the development of Vietnamese culture, has placed culture at the center of the national development strategy, affirming the role of culture and people as an internal resource, an important driving force for sustainable growth. This is not only a macro-oriented orientation but also a specific requirement for art units, including the Youth Theater - a public cultural institution under the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
In the period 2025-2026, the Youth Theater has proactively implemented many performance and artistic creation activities to accompany the guidelines and policies of the Party and the State. The focus is identified as targeting young audiences, especially students - the successor force that plays an important role in shaping the cultural foundation of society.
The Theater has developed performance plans with higher frequency, diversifying content and forms of expression, from spoken drama, singing and dancing to musicals. In addition, communication work is also focused on expanding public access. Thanks to these efforts, the number of audiences coming to the Youth Theater has increased significantly in recent years.
Reality shows that in 2025 alone, the Youth Theater organized 186 performances, serving more than 56,000 audiences, with revenue exceeding 13.7 billion VND. This is not only an operating figure but also reflects a positive trend in bringing stage art closer to the public, especially the younger generation.
Can you tell us how the Youth Theater has innovated its artistic activities to both preserve traditional identity and create products with economic value?
- Developing the cultural industry is a big goal, requiring a combination of artistic values and market factors. For the Youth Theater, the problem posed is not only preservation but also creativity and innovation to adapt to the increasing needs of the audience.
Currently, the theater maintains two main pillars, spoken drama and musical and dance, and at the same time promotes the development of musical theater as a strategic direction. Musical theater is considered a synthetic art form, capable of connecting many elements from music, acting to stage staging, thereby creating products with high attractiveness to the public, especially young audiences. The theater also focuses on building cultural products that can spread, associated with tourism and international cooperation. This orientation is in line with the general trend of the cultural industry, when art products are not only limited to performance but also become part of the creative economic ecosystem.
In your opinion, what are the solutions for traditional performing arts such as Cheo, Cai Luong, circus... to break through and attract audiences in the current context?
- Traditional performing arts such as Cheo, Cai Luong, circus... all have unique cultural values, but are facing many challenges in attracting audiences, especially young people.
At the Youth Theater, these types are being innovated through the combination of modern elements in staging, stage language and storytelling. The improvement is not aimed at changing the nature of traditional art but towards making them closer to the contemporary public.
International cooperation is also an important direction. Cooperation projects with Korean partners in the field of musicals, such as the "My Dream" project, not only help improve professional quality but also open up opportunities to bring Vietnamese art to the world.
What is the content in the Resolution of the 14th Party Congress that you are most satisfied with and expect to create substantive changes for the field of performing arts?
- In my opinion, determining the goal of developing culture into a real cultural industry is an important highlight of the Resolution of the 14th Party Congress. This is a strategic orientation, requiring great efforts from the entire system, especially those in the profession.
Thank you, sir!
