If only that journey could have gone all the way it needed to. If only there were a Nora slamming the door of the Doll's House here, the play would have been less hauntingly sad about a faint glimmer of affirmation that the audience had been given from the beginning…The above thought likely didn't just cross my mind after watching Bui Nhu Lai and Agnes Locsin's "Journey to Find Emotion," but rather it seems to create a sense of emptiness and ambiguity that leaves a lasting emotional impact on the viewer. I don't know if I'm being overly influenced or influenced by the happy endings of traditional plays, but "Journey to Find Emotion" truly evoked a profound sadness within me. From its title alone, the play conjures up an obvious idea in the minds of anyone who has ever watched Vietnamese theater (and here, I don't want to emphasize the quality of Vietnamese theater): Emotion will be achieved in a complete, fulfilling, and humane way after that harsh and painful journey. "Tears aren't flowing from my eyes. They're streaming down your face! The truth isn't bad. Please don't hide it!" After hearing these words repeated quite a lot in the play, the audience vaguely envisioned a humanistic value of human emotion being strongly and fiercely defended. The intense struggle between the emotional boundaries of the lyrical character in the first part foreshadowed a powerful explosion of liberation.
An exhibition of photographs and a physical theater performance about the "third gender"
Opening on the afternoon of April 6, 2010, at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities, the "Open" photo exhibition series provided an opportunity for Hanoi students to gain a more comprehensive understanding of the LGBTQ+ community. The exhibition was jointly organized by the Institute for Social, Economic and Environmental Research (iSEE) and the Connecting and Sharing Group (ICS). In addition to the photo exhibition, the University of Social Sciences and Humanities was also the first venue to host the physical theater performance "Stereo Man and the Journey to Find Emotion" on the evening of April 7, 2010. Hundreds of young people attended the performance and interacted with artists from the Youth Theater. Launched in 2006, "Stereo Man" has a different theme each year. This year, director Bui Nhu Lai and choreographer Agnes Locsin (Philippines) drew inspiration for the play from the lives of LGBTQ+ people in Vietnam. The series of exhibitions is expected to be held at 10 universities and colleges in Hanoi during April and May 2010.
•Nguyet Anh
