(VOVworld) – Recitals and reenactments of pieces of Nguyen Du’s “The Tale of Kieu” have been a regular practice of people in Tien Dien village, Ha Tinh province. They give the audience insights into the characters of Nguyen Du’s masterpiece.

“Tro Kieu”, reenactments of pieces of “The Tale of Kieu”, mixes Tuong classical opera and Cheo popular theater. But in Tien Dien village Tro Kieu is influenced by the local culture and dialect. Members of the Tien Dien Tro Kieu club meet every evening at the local communal house to practice pieces of the Tale of Kieu. The activity involves many people including seniors like Nguyen Dang Thuy: “It takes years for one to understand and play a character in the Tale of Kieu. It is easier if the performers understand our dialect. Tro Kieu has long been a part of our daily life.”

Tro Kieu originated in Tien Dien village but its popularity waned during the war years. 15 years ago Mr. Nguyen Mau, head of the Nguyen family clan began collecting scripts of Tro Kieu. These have now been distributed to all the communes in Nghi Xuan district. Mau said: “I’ve met and talked to all the people who have performed Tro Kieu in Xuan Linh, Xuan Thanh, and Xuan Lien commune. I’ve used Nguyen Du’s The Tale of Kieu to complete the scripts they gave me.”

A Tro Kieu performance, which is divided into scenes usually lasts 2 or 3 nights. The people who use to Thuy Kieu and Thuy Van, the two main female characters in the Tale of Kieu, were usually men because it was thought that women who played those roles would find it hard to marry and have babies. That way of thinking has changed and now women can play those characters. Tran Thi Giang, who plays both Thuy Kieu and Thuy Van says it’s difficult to find the right person to play a character: “In addition to memorizing the songs the performer must be able to express the inner feelings of the character he or she plays. It’s very difficult to find a person to replace an experienced performer.”

Tro Kieu is performed on the birth anniversary of poet Nguyen Du, during major celebrations of family clans, and at village festivals. Through Tro Kieu, The Tale of Kieu and its characters have become familiar even to small children.