On July 14th, 2012, The Asian International School had arranged an extracurricular activity for students to watch a play at the Saigon Play Theater located at 130 Cao Thắng St., Dist. 3, HCMC. The aim of the trip was to provide the students with an entertaining reward after studying hard, to help them to understand more about Vietnamese plays, and to educate them about family ties such as parental care and sibling relationships.
The Asian International School students in front of the Saigon Play Theater
The students were very excited while waiting for the play to begin. Directed by Đoàn Bá, the play “Áo Cho Người Chết” (Clothing for the Dead) featured many well-known artists including People’s Artist Ngọc Giàu, Hữu Nghĩa, Mạnh Tràng, Việt Hà, Mai Trần, Trần Minh Cường, Đại Ngọc Trâm, Trần Cao Minh… and brought different emotional reactions from the student audience. The play was about common things in daily life - sometimes fun, sometimes wistful, and occasionally shocking, but it also emphasized family relationships, sibling bonds and parent’s love. In addition, a lot of humorous dialogues and some scenes of horror in the play made the young audience laugh a lot and they were terrified when a ghost appeared.
Students lining up to enter the auditorium
The play “Clothing for the Dead” helped students gain and learn lots of useful lessons from the simplest things in life while having unforgettable time watching the play with teachers and classmates. Using both humorous and tragic elements, the play made a deep impression on the The Asian International School audience by moving them from one emotion to another. The play also gave students an opportunity to reflect on life and the importance of showing more love and respect to the people around them.
The students were exited while waiting for the play to begin
This extracurricular activity ended with the students’ feelings both satisfied and reflective for The Asian International School students. The activity was one of the most useful and active ones The Asian International School have had, bringing students happiness and entertainment as well as building bonds between them. In addition, the play educated them about awareness and morality and helped them to contemplete the importance of love, as well as strong family relationships.
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Lê Thiên Hương – Elementary 1
"Last week, my friends and I had a great time together. We had a chance to watch a play named “Clothing for the Dead” at the Saigon Play Theater. I was deeply moved by the play because it brought me lots of feelings: happiness, sadness, and even fear. It was the best time I’ve ever had with my teachers and my classmates. Thank you very much for offering me such a wonderful time."
Trần Thị Tố Như – Elementary 2
"“Clothing for the Dead” made me feel different emotions like: happiness, sadness, fear and hatred. I don’t like the sons in the play because they showed little respect to their mother by giving them money and material things instead of their love. I love the character Lan because she was so kind to her mother-in-law. The play gave me a useful lesson: materials and money are not everything, but the children’s love and care for their parents are the best presenst in the world."
Trần Thanh Nhàn – Starter 2
"This is the first time I saw “Clothing for the Dead”, so I felt a little bit nervous. Some scenes in the play made me cry. After watching the play, I had gained a lesson: We should respect and obey our parents. In my opinion, this kind of activity is very useful."
Phạm Cao Nhật Linh – Starter 2
"This is the first time I saw the play with my teachers and my classmates. “Clothing for the Dead” was a little bit horrible, a little bit fun and a little bit sad. The play also reminds me that wherever you go, you always think about your homeland and your mother. I hope that I will have more activities like this and have more fun with my teachers and friends again and again."
Đặng Ngọc Yến Nhi – Starter 2
"The play was amazing. It had some thrilling situations. My classmates and I enjoyed the play performed by many famous artists very much. It made me laugh a lot in one scene, and also made me cry in another. Sometimes, we screamed and shouted loudly from fear. We also learned many useful lessons about family after watching the play."
Nguyễn Thảo Nga – Starter 4
"I was so excited when my teacher said: “We are going to watch “Clothing for the Dead”. I felt a little bit nervous when I heard the name of the play. Surprisingly, when I watched the play, everything I imagined about the play was totally different. It was so good, and filled with love. After watching, I understood that no love is the same as the love parents give to their children. I also learned a precious lesson: Every single person in the family should care for and love each other."
Nguyễn Ngân Kha – Starter 2
"Last week, my friends and I went to see this play. I was very happy and excited. The play “Clothing for the Dead” is a little bit scary and a little bit sad, but it was fun. The play taught us to obey our parents – those who brought us up. I felt upset because the play was quite short. However, we were glad because we had a great time watching the play together after many days of studying hard."