Thiet Tru Village Troupe, Binh Minh Commune (Hung Yen Province), sixty kilometers southeast of Hanoi. The audience always fills the courtyard of the communal house by late afternoon, hours before the troupe stages its show. Spectators who arrive just before the curtain rises have to watch from the courtyard banyan tree or from atop the communal house gate. The Thiet Tru cheo Troupe, all of whose members are volunteers, was formed in the 1960s. It performed not only for commune residents but also traveled to play for audiences in other locations. The troupe won high prizes whenever it entered a theatrical contest. However, the troupe stopped performing after 1975, when economic conditions became extremely difficult, because its members were too busy making a living. However, from time to time, the artists gathered to recall the past and sing classic cheo songs.
The troupe revived in 1995 when Thiet Tru Village implemented its project “Cultural Village”. Love for Thiet Tru (Tinh que Thiet Tru), its first publicly performed play after twenty years, stirred immediate local interest. The troupe went on to stage Maintaining Love for the Homeland (Giu tron tinh que) in 1996 and one year later performed its longest play. Love Story by the River (Moi tinh ven song) Watching their skilful performance, one can hardly believe the artists on the stage at night are farmers who work in the rice paddies by day.
The group members sacrifice for cheo. Nguyen Thi Xuat, who sells rice pancakes (banh cuon), prepares the cakes for the next day’s market late at night, after she has practiced cheo with the troupe. Another group member, Lan sells ceramics in Hanoi but always returns in time for rehearsals. Mrs. Hue tours with the group to faraway locations even though she has to be home with her three-month-old daughter by the day’s end. Nguyen Van Vien is busy with his work at the district office, but he has never refused a role.
Le Van Duc, playwright for the group, explains his love for cheo: “I write scripts because I like cheo and because my wife encourages me to do so.” His wife, Me, is the lead actress and deputy head of the group. Duc has written ten scripts winning numerous prizes for two of them. Duc’s granddaughter is only five years old, but she can sing cheo songs correctly. The future of the village troupe will depend on such young singers. The Thiet Tru Cheo Troupe relies on community support. Villagers donate their time and money. The elderly built a stage at the communal house for the troupe to practice and perform. The villagers pay special attention to the costumes since these are very important for the success of performances. Since 1995, the community has contributed more than ten million dong (US$ 667) to buy costumes for its troupe.
Once, while watching a rehearsal of Love Story by the River (Moi tinh ven song), the village elders were not happy with an actor’s royal hat and decided to buy a new one. They sent Tuong; age seventy-two, to Hanoi to buy it. After he had bought the hat for 170.000 dong (US$ 11.33), the old man suddenly remembered that the troupe also needed new royal suits. He immediately bought two royal suits for 300.000 dong (US$ 20), going beyond the authority entrusted to him. Even those who have left the village to settle elsewhere contribute. A native of Thiet Tru Village, who is living away from home, donated over fifty costumes, everything from a maid’s uniform to a princess’s dresses. By mobilizing community support, Thiet Tru Village has set a good example of how rural villages can revive and develop their cheo tradition. If this experience is properly adapted in other communities, cheo is certain to flourish.
