Meritorious Artist Nguyen Van Khanh: The founder of folk opera Bai Choi

vankhanh(1).jpg — Meritorious Artist Nguyen Van Khanh (middle, front row) meets with the Liberation Art Troupe of the Central Central Region. Photo: NGUYEN HUU TY

The first bricks

Director - Meritorious Artist Nguyen Van Khanh - because of his tall stature, his teammates called him Khanh Cao, which later became his stage name throughout his life. He was originally from Kim Bong village (Hoi An).

During the resistance war against France, he was the Deputy Head of the Department of Culture and Information and Chairman of the Sao Vang Military and Civilian Propaganda and Arts Association in Binh Thuan province and was also one of the first people to build the cinema of Zone 6. In 1954, he gathered in the North, a new turning point when he switched to drama, became a stage director and was in charge of the Folk Song Group of Zone 5.

In the early years of the August Revolution, the Ngoc Suong Opera Troupe was established in Phan Thiet to raise funds to support the army. From there, Nguyen Van Khanh’s stage career began, becoming famous for his role as Nguyen Thai Hoc in the opera “The Curtain of Yen Bai ”.

During a raid, Ms. Ngoc Suong and some actors were captured by the enemy, so the troupe disbanded. He was assigned by the provincial leaders to build and take charge of the Binh Thuan Province Viet Minh Front Artistic Propaganda Troupe. Later, he established the "Golden Star" Military and Civilian Propaganda Troupe.

Director, Meritorious Artist Nguyen Van Khanh and daughter Tra Giang. Photo: Family documents

Captured by the enemy during a raid, he escaped to Ba Ria, worked at the Department of Culture and Information, then returned to Binh Thuan to rebuild the Sao Vang troupe. Next, he and some of the Sao Vang troupe members were transferred to Inter-zone 5 by sea. The task was to build and take charge of the Inter-zone 5 Youth Volunteer Corps Art Troupe serving the Central Highlands strategic road construction project.

At the end of 1955, he gathered in the North. After a period of being in charge of the performance organization department of the Theater Department, he returned to work as the artistic director of the Inter-zone 5 Folk Song Troupe.

In 1966, he brought a part of the Folk Song Troupe and the Inter-Zone 5 Tuong Troupe to serve the inter-zone battlefield, opening short-term courses to train directors and stage actors for the Central Central provinces.

In charge of the Inter-zone 5 Theater Arts School, then Vice Chairman, Party Committee Member of the Inter-zone 5 Liberation Arts Association, together with a number of cadres organized training for 4 Tri Thien music and drama troupes, Quang Nam - Da Nang mountain music and dance troupes; Tuong and folk music troupes performing to serve the revolution and the people.

It can be said that director Nguyen Van Khanh was the one who laid the first bricks for the art of directing the Bai Choi opera stage, a cultural and spiritual specialty of Inter-zone 5. He tried to perform a few types of roles in the Bai Choi opera style and learned from his experience.

Later, these roles were considered model roles by folk opera troupes in Zone 5 and these experiments were summarized into theories to be taught in training classes for opera actors during the resistance war against America to save the country. Opening the Stage Arts School in Zone 5, he had the opportunity to verify in practice the results of his experiments on folk opera and bai choi...

Memories of Zone 5 days

I was lucky to meet Meritorious Artist Nguyen Van Khanh's daughter, People's Artist Tra Giang. She told me about her memories of the battlefield in Zone 5, the journey to the North with her father on the last train in 1955. During the years in Zone 5, in his letters to his family, he always encouraged and reminded his daughter Tra Giang.

DSC09873_PHUONG THAO — Singing Bai Choi. Photo: PHUONG THAO

In a letter sent on November 12, 1967, mailbox 3105 VINH QUANG, he wrote: “Dear Tra Giang, this is the fourth letter that I send to you… I am writing this letter to you while I am working in the Liberation Art Troupe of Zone 5. Here, everyone is urgently preparing for the General Offensive and General Uprising. I, Uncle Can (musician Van Can, who later died) and Phuong Anh (dancer) are preparing to build a program for the military troupe to perform in the city. Within just 15 days, I finished a play, Phuong Anh staged a number of Northern folk songs, and Phuong Thao died while on a business trip with me in Quang Da.

Over the years, the force has suffered losses, but those who remain have worked three or four times harder to make up for the comrades who have died or been captured. My father is not very healthy due to old age, weakness, and constant fever and dysentery, but he is still strong enough to serve until the day of complete victory.

He also advised: “We must be ready to return home when needed to help our uncles and aunts build our homeland, to build the beloved South that was devastated by the Americans from tree to blade of grass. Thanks to the Party for raising and educating you to grow up and mature, I am satisfied. The wounds of war caused by the Americans must be healed by your hands.”

Tra Giang was discovered by her father and directed to success in the path of cinema art. She has made many contributions to the 7th art with famous roles in films: "Chi Tu Hau" (Silver Medal at the Moscow International Film Festival in 1963), "17th Parallel Days and Nights" (role of Diu, Best Actress Award at the Moscow International Film Festival in 1973)...

In his diary, Meritorious Artist Nguyen Van Khanh recounted his first day at the Regional Party Committee: Despite all the hardships and deprivations, despite our health not yet recovered from the days of long marches, under the rain of bombs and artillery shells of Truong Son, we performed for the cadres and soldiers who were yearning for songs.

The most touching was that Mr. Nam Cong (aka Comrade Vo Chi Cong), the Secretary of the Regional Party Committee, was sick and asked his comrades to carry him here to watch. We performed excerpts from the play “Le Lai saves the king” and the folk song “Tieng thunder Tay Nguyen”. Mr. Nam Cong was very happy and praised the artistry and high ideology of the plays. He hoped that this seed would be planted and multiply throughout the region.

From the encouragement of Mr. Nam Cong, director Khanh Cao, musician Phan Huynh Dieu, female dancers Phuong Thao and Phuong Anh went to different localities to open classes... Initially opening in Quang Ngai, marching to Quang Nam - Da Nang, continuously opening two classes in Dien Ban and Duy Xuyen... Then gradually opening the Art School of Zone 5.

Leaving the land that "Raised me to become a soldier", but in his heart: "At night I sleep, I dream of the old battlefield, remembering each comrade/ Remembering the Thu Bon River, remembering the Nuoc My River/ Remembering Tra My, remembering Ong Doi roof, remembering Noi Rang market/ Each place name, each person's name, brings glory/ To the youth of Vietnam, to the Propaganda Department of Zone 5 - During the war against America".

Director, Meritorious Artist Nguyen Van Khanh was born on September 20, 1918 and passed away in 2012 at the age of 94. Some of the plays he directed were famous: “Thoai Khanh, Chau Tuan”, scriptwriter: Nguyen Tuong Nhan (won the first Gold Medal in 1958); “Doi chim cheo beo”, scriptwriter: Nguyen Van Niem (won the Silver Medal); “Bong trang”, scriptwriter: Nguyen Khac Phuc (first prize in the Southern stage)… In addition, he also directed for the Phu Khanh, Thuan Hai Folk Song and Drama Troupe with many immortal plays: “Duoi chan nui da bia”, “Tran Quoc Toan”, “Bong trang”…

Source: https://baoquangnam.vn/nghe-si-uu-tu-nguyen-van-khanh-nguoi-dat-nen-mong-dan-ca-kich-bai-choi-3157186.html