Expanding the audience for stage plays

Stage scripts have always been sought after by artists, but have never become a worthy product in the plans of publishers in our country. Why don’t publishers bring stage scripts into the publishing market to expand the audience for this genre?

Scene from the classic play Durian Leaves. Source: LD

It is difficult to find stage scripts on the book market.

When discussing solutions for the future of the stage, People's Artist Tran Minh Ngoc suggested: "If we want the stage to develop, directors must easily find stage scripts on bookshelves, not be able to go everywhere to explore. It's strange that we can invest in a stage script writing camp, but not invest a little more money to print stage scripts. We don't need many, just one or two hundred copies of the book, so that directors have the opportunity to evaluate and choose. I hope the Writers' Association and the Stage Association will consider this issue to find a way to improve it." People's Artist Tran Minh Ngoc's thoughts are very correct and worth sharing. With many years of experience in teaching and working, People's Artist Tran Minh Ngoc expressed his frustration that stage scripts mostly only exist in the form of photocopied manuscripts to be passed around.

Literature has three basic genres: poetry, prose, and drama. While poetry and prose are printed regularly, why are stage plays not printed as real publications? Perhaps, we have to look at two reasons. First, book publishers have assessed stage plays as a “niche” market, making it difficult to find readers. Second, the common mentality is that stage plays are only for acting, not for reading.

It is extremely difficult to find a collection of stage scripts on the book market. Most stage scripts are printed into books, depending on the personal needs of the author. That is, only authors with financial resources will print stage scripts for storage and as gifts for friends. Fortunately, only authors who are playwrights who have won the Ho Chi Minh Prize or the State Prize will see the Literature Publishing House or the Hoi Nha Van Publishing House print stage scripts with the note "book on order". Therefore, if you take the time to search in the library system, you can find stage scripts by Luu Quang Vu, Xuan Trinh, Nguyen Anh Bien, Xuan Duc, etc.

There are many famous plays, but neither the theater industry nor the public can get their hands on the stage scripts even if they want to. For example, recently when People's Artist Kim Cuong was honored as " 60 outstanding individuals of Ho Chi Minh City 1975-2025 " , her colleagues were asking each other about her stage script " Durian Leaves" (under the pen name Hoang Dung) which was also voted as "50 outstanding literary and artistic works of Ho Chi Minh City 1975-2025" but no one had a printed copy. Obviously, the stage script " Durian Leaves" needs to be published in book form.

To position stage scripts in the book market, it is impossible not to redefine the value of stage scripts in the literary field.

The stage script cannot exist only as an “internal document” between the director, the designer and the actors participating in each play. The public also needs to read the stage script, to enjoy the work according to their own imagination and way of thinking. The stage script brought to the stage reflects the aesthetic concept of the production team, sometimes changing quite a lot compared to the original. Therefore, the stage script, when printed into a book, helps the public understand correctly and fully the creative ability of the author.

In fact, reading a play is very interesting. In many countries, people organize play readings, similar to poetry readings. Sometimes, a line heard vaguely on stage is not enough to awaken the audience's emotions. However, when holding a play in hand to read, a unique line is as evocative as a good poem.

Collection of plays by Luu Quang Vu. Photo: TUY HOA

Redefining the value of stage scripts in the literary field

To position the stage script in the book market, it is impossible not to redefine the value of the stage script in the field of literature. In Vietnam, there is still a habit of arranging and honoring playwrights in the field of performing arts, but rarely considering them as true literary authors. Meanwhile, the Nobel Prize in Literature from 1901 to the present, has continuously called out the names of playwrights.

In the book series Hundred Years of Nobel Literature , Dong A Book Company has printed a very impressive collection of plays by Jacinto Benavente. Spanish playwright Jacinto Benavente (1866-1954) was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1922. The Jacinto Benavente collection introduces 5 short plays : The Governor's Wife , The Rose of Autumn , The Bonds of Interest , The Little Prince and The Unlucky Child , giving the public the opportunity to refer to the unique playwriting techniques and discover the stature of a great author.

Of course, our country does not yet have playwrights of the caliber of Jacinto Benavente, but the book industry also needs the goodwill to print and distribute stage scripts to contribute to promoting reading culture and expanding the range of interaction between the stage and the public.

Source: https://baophuyen.vn/van-nghe/202506/mo-rong-cong-chung-cho-kich-ban-san-khau-0c74beb/