World Premiere “The Gem”
08 pm, 26 – 28 Sep 2025
Youth Theatre of Vietnam
11 Ngô Thì Nhậm, Hai Bà Trưng, Hà Nội
Ticket link
From the organizer:
“The Gem” is this autumn’s most spectacular theater event in Hanoi. This unique production combines experimental forms, creative language, and genuine collaboration between Vietnamese and German artists. It explores the big questions of our time: city life, human desires, and the rapid changes transforming cities worldwide.
The story begins with a familiar urban struggle – finding an affordable home. In “The Gem”, a desirable apartment becomes more than real estate – it becomes the catalyst for conflict as people compete for ownership, propelling the narrative in compelling and unexpected directions.
Immersing in “The Gem,” audiences will experience more than just storytelling. On show nights, the Youth Theater’s traditional auditorium transforms into the world of The Gem, where audiences encounter striking visual spectacles and innovative soundscapes. These elements combine with excellent acting and poetic storytelling, woven together by the artistic creativity of German contemporary artists with the Youth Theater ensemble, all expected to create a unique theater experience.
As a project by Goethe-Institut Hanoi and Youth Theatre celebrating 50 years of Vietnam-Germany diplomatic relations, this production brings several firsts to Vietnamese theater. For the first time, one of Germany’s most influential contemporary playwrights, Thomas Köck, has created a work specifically for Vietnam’s Youth Theatre. The production also marks the first collaboration with German-Vietnamese stage designer Lina Oanh Nguyễn with Youth Theater Vietnam, whose innovative vision promises surprising and captivating visual experiences. Under the direction of renowned artist Đào Duy Anh and featuring the creative ensemble of Youth Theatre, “The Gem” promises to be one of 2025’s most spectacular theatrical projects in Vietnam.
Germany is internationally recognized for its vibrant theater scene. With a history of strong government funding, it allows theaters and artists to preserve classical works while taking bold creative experimentation. This support enables German theater to push boundaries and explore new storytelling forms that extend beyond traditional limits. Artists like Thomas Köck and Lina Oanh Nguyễn exemplify this innovative German theater spirit. Through this project, they create meaningful dialogue and artistic exchange with Vietnam’s dynamic theater community and fostering experimental exploration.
Duration: approx. 100 minutes, without intermission
Production team
Playwright: Thomas Köck
Director: Đào Duy Anh
Stage Designer: Lina Oanh Nguyễn
Assistant Director: Lý Chí Huy
Movement Choreographer: People’s Artist Trần Ly Ly
Editor: Phùng Tiến Minh
Music Editor: Thế Toàn
Visual and Camera Design: Minh Ly – Quốc Bảo
Visual Artist: Anh Khoa
Costume Designer: Trần Quỳnh Nhi
Lighting Designer: Khải Hưng
Sound Designer: Anh Tuấn
Featuring: Nguyễn Tú, Phan Thắng, Bùi Minh, Yến My, Hàn Trang, Thu Hà, Minh Cúc, Hương Thuỷ, Thanh Hoà, Đức Anh
Script Translation: Trương Hồng Quang
Translation Editor: Nguyễn Hạnh Quyên
Artists
Thomas Köck
Playwright
Thomas Köck, born in 1986 in Steyr, Upper Austria, is one of the most influential contemporary theater artists; his texts are widely performed in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Europe and internationally. He works as a musician, director, writer, teaches in various schools and has created his own productions, musical formats, screenplays, radio plays, and AI-based performances in changing, collective contexts for theaters, museums, TV-stations, festivals and concert halls. In 2018 and 2019, he received the Mülheim Dramatic Prize twice in a row. In 2024, he was nominated for the Mülheim Dramatic Prize for forecast: ödipus. The film UN GRAN CASINO, for which Thomas Köck wrote the original script, was nominated for the CineRebels Award at the Munich Film Festival in 2025. In 2024, his book Chronik der laufenden Entgleisungen (Chronicle of Ongoing Derailments) was published by Suhrkamp Verlag and reached number 1 on the ORF Best of List. For the AI-integrated Virtual Reality Play „opera, opera, opera“ the team received the FAUST Price.
Among numerous other Awards he holds the Kleist-Förderpreis, the Literaturpreis Text & Sprache der deutschen Wirtschaft or the Hörspielpreis der Kriegsblinden for his radio and audio work. He works with excessive research processes, that led him to Central America, Eastern Turkey, Italy, former Yugoslavia and often works with choirs and integrates Music or new technolgies.
Đào Duy Anh
Director
Đào Duy Anh is a renowned stage director and actor, currently serving as the Deputy Head of the Drama Troupe at the Vietnam Youth Theatre. He is known for his compelling performances and deeply humanistic directorial works, which have significantly contributed to the development of contemporary Vietnamese theatre drama.
In his multifaceted roles as actor, director, and manager, he continuously creates theatrical productions rich in artistic and social value, ranging from classical plays to children’s theatre. He is also actively involved in international collaboration projects, helping to foster cultural exchange between Vietnam and European countries.
In 2024, Đào Duy Anh was awarded Best Director at the National Performing Arts Festival for Children and Youth for his play “The Story of the Seagull and the Cat Who Taught Her to Fly” That same year, he and the Vietnam Youth Theatre partnered with Théâtre des 4 Mains (Belgium) to stage the puppet show “J’ai enlevé Mamie” in celebration of the Belgian King’s visit to Vietnam.
Notably, with a dedicated and creative working style, he emphasizes integrating modern technology into theatre while maintaining direct engagement with audiences to deliver authentic and profound artistic experiences. He is also recognized for his contributions to sustaining and developing spoken drama during the Covid-19 pandemic, a time when live performances faced significant challenges.
Đào Duy Anh is admired for his meticulous and emotionally rich approach to work, consistently aiming to convey humanistic and educational values through his art. He frequently collaborates with young artists and continually explores new forms of theatrical expression, helping to attract younger audiences to both traditional and modern drama.
Lina Oanh Nguyễn
Stage designer
Lina Oanh Nguyễn is an independent artist specializing in set design, scenography, and costumes for contemporary theater. She creates spaces that enable the interplay of visual, dramaturgical, and situational elements on stage. Her aim is to evoke surprising connections and frictions for performers and audience. Trained at the University of the Arts Berlin and the Eesti Kunstiakadeemia Tallinn, her work can be seen at renowned German-speaking theaters such as the Burgtheater Wien, the Deutsches Schauspielhaus Hamburg and the Staatstheater Wiesbaden. She also maintains close ties to Vietnam’s contemporary art scene, having contributed to the Vietnamese-German co-production “The Merry Widow” in Ho Chi Minh City in 2023.
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