After 3 months of rehearsals at the Can Tho College of Culture and Arts, An Khanh high school students performed a song and dance routine and a Cai Luong (reformed opera) scene featuring heroine Vo Thi Sau, adapted from a true event from the 1945-1954 period.

All the adaptation, performance techniques, stage design, script writing, music arrangement, costumes, and props were done under the supervision of the lecturers and students of the College of Culture and Arts.

The rustic acting style and professional stage effects of the 40-minute scene impressed the audience and helped the students understand the heroic struggle for national defense.

Tran Duc Minh, a student at An Khanh High School, said after watching the play that the program helped him better understand the literary and historical context and the acting revealed the mood and personality of each character.

Le Thu An, the school’s Vice Principal, said that acting out literary and historical works in class has been done for a couple of years, but this is the first time the school has cooperated with an art college.

Theatrical performances make literary works more engaging for the students and awakens their passion for literature. They also make the students proud of their homeland and nation and more appreciative of art forms like “Cai luong” (reformed opera) and “Don ca tai tu” (traditional improvisational chamber music.)

Lecturer Lam Tan Phat said, “The best thing gained from this program is getting kids to love the arts and history more by letting them play characters. I hope the program will receive more attention and be replicated more widely so that students of all ages can benefit.”

Following the success of the play, the program to dramatize literary and historical works is expected to be replicated in other secondary and high schools in Can Tho city.