Illustrative image. (Photo: VNA)HCM City (VNA) - Dozens of veteran and young artists will perform at HCM City’s OperaHouse next week to raise funds for poor theatre artists for the Tet (Lunar NewYear) holiday.
The 90-minute concert, NgheSi Tri Am (Performers Together), will feature cai luong (modern folkopera) stars, like Ngoc Giau and Minh Vuong, together with colleagues fromtraditional art troupes.
They will stage songscomposed by veteran artists Nguyen Van Ty, Vien Chinh, Han Chau and Mac The Nhan.
Famous extracts fromhistorical plays, such as Thai Hau Duong Van Nga (Queen DuongVan Nga) and To Anh Nguyet (Ms To Anh Nguyet), will also befeatured.
"Our concert is for170 poor actors, especially the elderly and backstage workers, as well as 20children from artists’ families," said 80-year-old People’s Artist KimCương, the event’s organiser and deputy chairman of the HCM City Association inSupport of Disabled People and Orphan Children.
“We have tried our bestto organise the show every year in a professional way because we want it to benot just a charity work but also a quality artistic endeavor,” she said.
All artists at the eventwill perform for free. They will give clothes, food and 5 million VND (220 USD)in cash to each needy person.
Cuong said that throughthe show she hopes to encourage more organisations and individuals tocontribute to charity for theatre artists, who devoted their life to their art.
Last year, NgheSi Tri Am attracted more than 170 artists, raising over 1.5 billionVND (66,000 USD) for charity.
Cuong began herprofessional career when she was 17 and later performed with cai luong gurussuch as Nam Phi and Phung Ha, and Bay Nam, head of Dai Phuoc Cuong Troupe, oneof the region’s leading cai luong troupes.
In the 1960s, she openedthe Kim Cương Drama Troupe, managing a staff of 70, including young talentslike Tu Trinh and Van Hung.
Her troupe offereddozens of quality plays on topics such as love, family and social problems,with most of them written by Cuong. They are still staged today.
For her contribution tothe theatre, Cuong was named a People’s Artist by the Government in 2012.
The show Nghe SiTri Am will open at 8pm on January 14.-VNA
