Japanese artist Tsuyoshi Sugiyama has been announced as an art advisor and stage director at the Vietnam Youth Theatre, the first time the theatre has a foreign art advisor and director as its official member.

Japanese director Tsuyoshi Sugiyama. Photos coutersy of Vietnam Youth Theatre

The hire was made after successful collaborative art projects between the theatre and the Japan Theatre Centre Without Walls.

“Long-term cooperation with foreign artists is a good choice of Vietnamese art troupes,” said Pham Chi Trung, the Youth Theatre's director.

"It helps to promote culture and art cooperation and provides Vietnamese audience international-level standard performances."

Sugiyama received a systematic theatre education based on the Stanislavski System for five years at the Yutaka Wada theatre company established by Yutaka Wada who directed at the Moscow Art Theatre and has lectured as a Professor at the French National Academy of Dramatic Arts in Paris.

After studying he joined Wada’s art troupe 21st Century Theater Action, Inc. and began to create theatre works with the artists from abroad.

He also studied at the MS Schepkin Higher Theater School, a department of the Maly Theatre and at the Russian Academy of Theatre Arts.

He creates works mainly in Japan and brings the works with Theatre Centre Without Walls abroad.

Under the support of the Japan Foundation, Sugiyama and his company have joined domestic and international theatre festivals and held theatre workshops across Asia.

Sugiyama has worked with the Youth Theatre since 2016 in a cultural cooperation project. He staged the play Uncle Vanya, winning the gold medal at the 4th Hanoi International Experimental Theatre Festival last year. 

The play had tour performances in Vietnam and Japan in 2018-2019. 

"We believe that with strong expertise, profound artistic understanding and a special emotional attachment to the theatre over the past time, he will become an important member contributing to the integration of the theatre into the world as well as acting as a bridge contributing to deepening the good relationship between Vietnam and Japan," said Trung. 

Founded in 1978 by the Government, the Vietnam Youth Theatre is a member of the International Association of Theatre for Children and Young People. 

Under international co-operation projects, the theatre has worked with directors such as American Neil Simon Fleckman, German Dominik Gunther and Belgian Xavier Lukowski.