Artist Hoàng Tùng tells & Of Other Things about his love of mime, and answers our questions in poses
How would you feel if the audience reacted negatively towards your show?
Do you see yourself as a pioneer?
Are you afraid of the difficulties on your chosen path?
What makes you happiest?
What do you think is the most romantic action?
What is easier: expressing happiness or sadness?
Words & Interview by Ha Dao ● Photos by Linh Nguyen
It goes without saying that making a living from the arts is hard in Vietnam, and even more so if it happens to be a non-traditional form of art. Yet in a world where everyone is eager to voice a statement, one artist chooses to tell his stories without making a sound. This artist is Hoàng Tùng.
“When acting solo, the performer will be put under the most intense pressure. That’s the type of challenge I like.”
His project is ambitious and a bit risky. There are challenges, like that our theatre culture is far from flourishing, that mime is not known to the majority of Vietnamese audiences, and that in this day and age people simply prefer catchier, more interactive mediums. And there’s another challenge. He has decided to carry this out on his own, taking the roles of the director, script writer and actor. Hoàng Tùng explains that his decision was partly due to the absence of like-minded artists, but also simply because he wanted to. “When acting solo, the performer will be put under the most intense pressure. That’s the type of challenge I like.”
Hoàng Tùng believes there is potential in telling stories modern life using this Western classical art. With the same storytelling technique – using only gestures with the support of background music – his chosen subject matters are modern, reflecting the present day Vietnam. To Hoàng Tùng, his attempt to bring mime back is not an attempt to preserve a form of art on the verge of oblivion, but to revive it by bringing contemporary stories to a contemporary audience.
The show ‘The Return of Mime’ is composed of eight skits about aspects of modern life from the artist’s view, addressing familiar subjects such as the selfie trend or bribing in hospitals.
●●
The Return of Mime 7th and 14th February at Hồng Hà Theater 51 Đường Thành street.
The silent interview was inspired by the regular interview series in the German Süddeutsche Zeitung Magazin ‘Don’t say Anything Right Now‘, which we love.
