Aaron Toronto has lived and worked in the arts in Vietnam for over 20 years. He is the director of the 2021 Golden Kite Award-winning film, “The brilliant darkness!”. In addition to cinema, theatre is another big passion of Aaron’s: he is the co-founder of Dragonfly, a theatre group for expatriates that has been active in Saigon over the past 15 years. Accompanying him is British playwright-director-actor John Andrew Cunnington, who has spent over a decade travelling the world for the stage. Two years ago, John decided to settle down in Vietnam, eager to popularise physical theatre and bringing the newest global theatrical productions closer to the local audience.
Pursuing their passion for theatre in Vietnam, John and Aaron have embarked on a journey akin to nomads. They have organised performances in various stage formats, from makeshift to professional – studios, fairs, dance studios, bars, small and medium venues, and large theatres. In their quest to elevate Dragonfly to a professional level beyond a simple hobby club, Aaron and his team have faced numerous challenges.
As an independent theatre group, the core members spent a lot of time understanding administrative procedures, licensing processes, and acquiring permits for performances. Although rehearsals were finished, it took months to finalise a release date. Finding a suitable venue was not easy either. Theatres and venues managed by government agencies involved complex administrative procedures, while private venues commanded high rental costs. Renowned stages with packed schedules would only offer remaining slots, which often fell on less favourable weekday evenings. Not to mention cases where agreements were cancelled last minute over more lucrative opportunities.
In 2012, while producing “The Little Prince”, Aaron and Dragonfly faced such a predicament when they lost their venue just three weeks before the premiere. Fortunately, the People’s Artist Hong Van came to their rescue, offering to facilitate their performance at Phu Nhuan Theatre. The prestige of performing at such a renowned venue that has been a staple of Saigon entertainment, combined with their strong production, attracted a significant number of viewers to the show. It was a rare occasion where a Saigon theatre had screens displaying subtitles next to the stage, allowing both Vietnamese and foreign audiences to enjoy the performance together.
In their efforts to expand relationships and explore new ideas, Vietnamese and international theatre artists began to engage more openly with each other. Western performers were welcomed onto the local stage, such as when Aaron Toronto was invited by Director Viet Linh to star in her play “Visa” at Hong Hac Theatre in 2016. That same year, the audience of Hoang Thai Thanh Theatre could enjoy seeing Guillaume Faugere as the love-struck Doctor Guillaume in a rendition of the Vietnamese classic “Lan and Diep”. It was also in 2016 that Thanh Bui collaborated with Aaron Toronto and Dragonfly to stage “Love Song” as part of the Soul Live Project interdisciplinary arts initiative.
Around the same time, many Vietnamese theatre enthusiasts began engaging with theatrical practices in expatriate-founded clubs and theatres. For many years, the actress Lan Phuong played the leading role in nearly 10 major and minor productions by Dragonfly. Many others joined Dragonfly for its weekly activities. As a result, Saigon’s theatre scene became more vibrant and diverse, influenced by the interplay of different theatrical practices.
Aaron and John, for the past two years, have dreamt of establishing a theatre where foreign and Vietnamese artists can closely collaborate, aiming towards a multi-ethnic,multicultural audience. Recognising Ho Chi Minh City as a fertile ground for theatre in all shapes and sizes, they decided, “Let’s create a new style of theatre!” Thus, Eclipse Theatre was born.
With over 15 years of experience in theatre and cinema, covering roles from logistics to production, assistant director, and deputy director, Aaron Toronto has acquired a wealth of experience and connections to become a producer. However, he admitted that he and his partners currently lack the manpower and financial resources to run a traditional permanent theatre in Saigon.
“Most theatres in Ho Chi Minh City operate on a self-sustaining model, bearing their own profit and loss. I know local producers who have to invest considerable effort themselves in finding a space to build a theatre and keep it running. They, too, often lease premises from state agencies, children’s centres, and cultural venues, while also having to self-fund equipment and infrastructure themselves. Their advantage lies in having star performers whose brands can draw in their own crowds. Each theatre typically has its specialisation: Hoang Thai Thanh is known for social-psychological dramas, The Gioi Tre excels in comedies, Hong Van’s stage for horror and, or thrillers, and Hong Hac for adaptations of literary works. Each has their own base of loyal audience who will keep returning for their favourite genre.
“We are taking a slightly unorthodox approach, requiring greater flexibility. Eclipse’s repertoire will include both original scripts from abroad and our own creations, in English and Vietnamese. We want to experiment with various genres and collaborate with artists across different art forms. Therefore, our theatre operation must also differ,” he explained.
For these reasons, when establishing Eclipse Theatre together in 2024, Aaron and John did not emphasise the need to find a permanent venue. Each season only focuses on producing and performing a single play, with flexible showings from 5 to 15 performances, while the location varies according to the play’s characteristics.
John Andrew Cunnington believes that performance spaces don’t need to be traditional physical theatres with velvet curtains, cushioned seats, and wings. The key criteria should align with the nature of the play, the artists’ characteristics, and the medium through which they convey emotions. No matter if it is a large theatre or small, an empty room or a packed venue, anywhere can equally become an ideal stage. In other words, stages are everywhere.
Aaron Toronto, while respecting his partner’s vision and artistic style, specialises in “spectacular” productions with grand visuals, magical sound and lighting, complete with a large cast. As such, he requires professional-standard stages and theatres to optimise the audience’s sensory experience.
“Pool (No Water)” is considered the duo’s first milestone in test-running a new theatrical model that is unusual compared to the traditional theatre-going habits of the general audience in Saigon. This play came together with a multinational team: the Brit Mark Ravenhill as script author, the American Aaron Toronto as producer, and John Andrew Cunnington as director. The play featured three talented young actors from Vietnam and Japan: Nguyen Lam Thao Tam, Mea Minh Anh, and Akari Nakatani. It also marked the debut of Eclipse Theatre as a co-producer alongside Dragonfly.
remiering in June 2024 at Stage 5B (District 3, Ho Chi Minh City), “Pool (No Water)” presented to the public a full 60-minute physical theatre play sans intermission. The audience’s response to this unfamiliar form of physical theatre, as compared to Vietnam’s mainstream cultural offerings, surprised the team.
This year, Eclipse Theatre continues to present a new production of the physical theatre play “Stockholm love,” performing in May and June. Unlike “Pool (No Water),” which was performed only in English, “Stockholm love” presents 8 out of 13 performances in Vietnamese. This time, John Andrew Cunnington chose a film studio space of approximately 160 square metres in District 4, Ho Chi Minh City.
“We’re still experimenting. The willingness of Vietnamese and foreign artists to collaborate is growing deeper. Especially, young Vietnamese audiences are very open to embracing new theatrical forms. They are not afraid to explore, are eager to discover, and are bold in breaking artistic norms. I hope that in the future, Saigon will have more multicultural theatres, speaking a common language that transcends cultural, linguistic, and geographical barriers,” Aaron Toronto shared.%
Words: Như Võ
Translation: Christina Nguyen
