“I talk to myself” is different from the usual plays, The plot and the script throughout tell about a status or social problem. Director Doan Khoa has staged in a new form: dialogue with no answer. Inside, Each character self-confessed about life, my fate with all the emotions in life: blow – fury – love – abominable.
Reality, last time, to adapt to the new normal, A series of art shows have been staged and performed on digital platforms, opened a new path for theatrical art. Song, similar to many professions, other areas, drama theater – which is faced with many difficulties and challenges, It can be said that the theater field is getting less and less attention as before, but somewhere there are still people carrying the fire of passion, desire to change mission.
Even though it's risky to do an experimental drama at a time when the city stage is familiar with the type of live drama, but why do you still choose this genre as a landmark to mark your return to the stage?
Actually speaking, If I choose, I don't have a choice, Because I just follow my feelings. When I make a play, first there are the following elements: kind 1 is a matter of devotion, kind 2 It's a new kind of story telling, If you guys say this is an experiment or something, it's a bit big for me, I didn't think about it when I did it..
We thought of a topic, We have a problem, then find a strange way of expressing why, if I don't find a strange way of expressing myself, I don't like it. I want what I do to have a new direction, a new form, That's why I got this job, Generally speaking, we like the idea first and then find a form of expression, It's not entirely correct to say this is what we originally intended.
It is known that "I tell my story" is the relationship between him and actor Hong Anh, Can you share a bit about the reason why you embarked on this play after many years of "hiding"?
Actually, Ms. Hong Anh and I are not close to each other to the extent that we can confess many things. We just knew each other and did a few shows together.
I really appreciate the spirit and vision of Hong Anh. Can say, whether in favorable or difficult stage situation, Hong Anh is still passionate and always has a great love for it.. Monday, this actress is exposed to many open sources of information, not affected by the framework of a particular stage. Specially, Hong Anh also comes into contact with many other types of foreign stages.
Accidental, In an exchange, she told me that if one day I return to the stage, she is ready to support and cooperate if you feel you need a person or production unit., I also agree with that. From the love and passion of Hong Anh's profession, made me decide to continue my career with stage plays.
After going through my sketch of initial ideas, she liked it so much we decided to do it.
What bothers you the most when deciding to release the play at the moment?? In the situation of the stage, there are many changes, Is this the right time for you to return to the stage??
Actually speaking, I'm not optimistic about the current stage situation. Because I find what we do amazing. We are struggling and also very lonely. Until by chance I met Ms. Hong Anh.
About a few weeks after sketching, We met to discuss and work out more specific details for our play.
I start my ideas from thinking in life, most of us are lonely. And worse, we have no way to relieve our feelings.
The problem we always face is that we really need to be heard, but we like to listen to others. In the more modern world, people are more withdrawn into the lonely world. Because, We always have "black holes" inside that we can't get rid of.
The newest thing in the current life is that we live side by side, Sometimes we have intersections but we don't see each other. The civilized life makes friendship, minimal realism fades away. So, we form"I tell my story”.
Have you noticed that you can talk about something on the phone for hours with someone. If you record yourself, or telling it yourself is meaningless because it doesn't have a story at all. But the content of the conversation is very long, then we show it through the temporary characters we choose. At the same time, portrays the feelings of the people "living" in the play.
From that sketch, we formed a new way of telling the story with a slightly eccentric layout when the drama had 2 anise. Islam 1 are all the characters talk a lot, very drunk. But the complete opposite of the first part, at the time 2 They almost don't say anything. At this moment, The play takes place entirely by non-verbal actions. The story progresses from one extreme to another.
This can also be called experimental drama because we are "experimenting" a different way of telling stories in a different language to retell the past. 2. If you have seen the play, You can easily see the difference when recovering 1 tell in one word, anise 2 expressed in another language.
When making this play, We don't think of it as experimental at all, I just try my best to best describe the story I want to convey.
Can you share why you chose to "assume" the characters to tell the story, accompanied by an element of dialogue. Is this what you want to convey to the audience?? Especially the audience, The younger generations have a love for the theater field?
This is not a monologue, because monologue is to tell the truth, is everyone's inner voice. Still here, characters are built in a dialogue style but with "people without faces", dialogue with the audience or with some object they come up with. The story of a very slick character, full of meaning because in each line we always put the intention. therefore, This form is still considered dialogue, there's just no answer.
I cut off someone's Q&A and we have an interaction, underground movements, then someone in their group of friends let them tell that story.
What's interesting is that the audience has to find the actors' thoughts. Hence, The new character can be animated. If you've seen classical drama, You will see monologues because that is a very large psychological area.
The newest thing in this play that we built is the opens up a special perspective for each audience. To put it more simply, you place the camera fixedly in a position where it can only focus on recording the person sitting directly and absolutely no other people around or opposite appear in the frame. this scene.
Know the challenges and revenue risks that an experimental playbook can bring? What motivates you to let go of all difficulties and be determined to do it to the end??
I have to repeat the story that I am not optimistic about the current stage situation. therefore, this is the biggest problem that made me stop doing theater for quite a long time. Pause with drama, I switched to doing stage in a different form – music Theater. You can easily see it, Music is easier, because it's diverse, colorful and there are other tricks that make it easier for viewers to see than this one.
I met Hong Anh who is a person who loves strange things, love it. Thanks to that, she made this program, I'm also the one who booked the spot. Hong Anh told me this sentence "we play". That means Hong Anh has an account so we can experiment and accept the loss, Accept the worst that can happen. But she has a good role, I have a good theater and a group of close friends who played with this game.
That means she's not afraid of losses, she accepts, means compensation, She is looking for some kind of financial source to be able to complete this work. If it's about capital, it's too good, otherwise it's not a burden, then thanks to that criterion, We can overcome those worries, then I thought that first I could be the best, Then how the audience receives it is up to me at that time.
If the audience is good at assuming and the audience is creative, then the audience is more imaginative than we thought, we are so awesome, we are so happy, And if the audience doesn't accept it, it's not because it hurts us. The financial factor is controlled but we have overcome that idea so we are more comfortable
Are the successful performances a proof of the audience's support for him and his team??
This is the case that I and the whole team did not expect. That is the "profit" because in principle we certainly cannot break even in recent screenings..
Why let a play happen, There are not only a few chairs on the stage, but there are so many things around that can't be described. The "word" that I want to talk about here is the "crazy joy" at the end of a play, The audience did not return.
People will come to see the show like going to a wedding, come a little late to avoid the period or want to leave a little early to make it easier to pick up the car. Those pictures are so scary. But fortunately for me telling my story didn't happen. For performances that must be performed continuously, We must apologize for not being able to stay and hope the audience will leave so the crew can prepare for the next performance. Keeping the audience "after the last minute" is a wonderful thing that we could not have imagined.
The audience's love for us is priceless, In my entire career, I consider this to be the thing that makes me happy. It's happier than bringing a lot of material value that the audience gives – pay tribute – or i get.
In the play you mentioned 5 sense: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. I don't know if he is trying to incorporate something into the message or is it simply revealing the unique emotional senses inherent in each person.?
5 This sense is an important element in "I Tell My Story". Because, in my opinion, 5 This sense is often "dishonest". Maybe I like this scent but others don't; or when someone touches my body, I like it but it's in the same position, When another person touches me, I have many "reactions"..
In fact, we think 5 That sense is always objective, but no, it always has some subjectivity. Let's not argue about gu, Because everyone has their own taste. We always think 5 This sense is honest, and treat them like a judge, but it's really not, I totally use them as I please. therefore, when your life has collisions, the difference is because 5 this sense.
Through these things, We build different stories on the same subject, so we have to know where to strike a balance.. Because extreme feelings cause friction, but in principle, these collisions are neither worth it nor need to be discussed.
As the message shared by the play is that life always has collisions and we must know how to balance. So this comeback, Is there any invisible burden that bothers you??
Yes. The first thing that can be mentioned is that the audience has long lost the habit of going to the theater to think. People watch it for entertainment purposes only. For the previous generation, when there are not many entertainment facilities and especially no Internet. therefore, people will watch the movie more closely, more detail. It is also possible to endure a long time to see a confusing story of the play. But not now, The Internet appeared and it brought a lot of wonderful things, give yourself a vast world but too "wide". That is, when a topic or a certain detail appears, Viewers feel unenthusiastic, one can surf. People's fingers keep moving without focusing on anything.
Example for you to understand more easily, I once told a western friend of mine that Vietnamese music is very good, only with 5 the word "smash the old mirror to find the shadow" – It means that the person I love used to look into that mirror every day, so just knock it out now, Who knows, maybe I can find the shadow of the old people. Only with 5 The words are short but rich in poetry.
But the problem is, Nowadays, The audience did not bother to listen and pass through the ears 5 that letter. Mean, people won't be able to see a good picture, could not find the poetic ideas of 5 With that word, how can we consider the works more deeply?.
With me, Drama is a wonderful combination of hearing and sight. Why, hearing is used to perceive a very terrible battle, but it happens in chicken wings. Set in a brutal war to prove what I'm about to say. Rage sounds, scream, Then the soldier with his bloody body crawled onto the stage,… Through those things, Hearing gave us a sense of the cruelty of the scene at that time.
Now, the audience believes that "seeing is believing.". That is to say, sight has triumphed over hearing. So in the same context, The audience must see the image of stray bullets, boom explosion, corpses lying,…. then believe it. This makes it very difficult for us when other people come to the stage.
Nowadays, as the Internet grows, people have begun to lose the habit of visualizing through hearing. So, when building I tell my story We don't know if it keeps up with the times or not, Will the audience come to accept what I do?? Maybe with us, This play is so amazing, But if the audience doesn't have the habit of going to that stage, we also lose.
This play is like food, if the food quality is good, Beautifully presented in every detail. Song, diners do not accept, then we lose. therefore, We are under a lot of pressure because we worry about how many minutes we will sit and talk, whether the audience will listen or not? Just a few unfocused spectators, If we talk privately, the whole audience will naturally be affected by that neglect and the actors gradually lose their appeal in the audience's eyes, then we lose..
As everyone said this is a new genre, We also see this as a new expression, Unlike previous plays, will the audience accept breaking the old rules to come to our "first one"??
From those pressures, I want to thank the actor, they are very good people. Everyone has their own charms, so thanks to that "private" has made the "common" of I tell my story more alive and more focused, but thanks to that focus we lead them into another story, Go to another matter.
What message does the meaning of "I tell my story" bring to life today??
I always question my play and hope that every time the audience comes to us, they can feel themselves in it.. From the audience finding a perspective similar to their lives.
I'm caught up in "a mess" by modern life, so why not find a way out, Find a private corner to breathe air. Why do I have to depend on my phone?, into matter or into those vortexes,… Whether, Can I step out of those negatives??… I hope that after watching this play, each audience will find the answer for themselves.
Don't misunderstand that I'm trying to teach life. Simpler, Think of it like reading scriptures, Every advice from Buddha or God allows you to find your own "own thing"..
After a negative social event, We are easy to get along with and share with each other. Song, people continue to return to normal life full of chaos and confusion. Why don't we capture the best moments, if after every extreme, we can lose, I should make some sacrifices. Because I should live for happiness.
Happiness is simply not being able to do "this man", that lady". Happiness is simply doing what you want. Viewers can see that message and understand that I'll be happy if I get rid of some things, if i'm not greedy, not "crazy", no desire,… life will be easier, more beautiful.
This is the key that I want the audience to find for themselves after watching the play I tell my story
Thank you for this conversation!
