A lack of puppeteers is threatening the survival of traditionalpuppetry, according to Chairman of Vietnam Theatre Artists' Association,Le Tien Tho.

At a seminar held recently to promotethe traditional art form, Tho said puppetry art is very distinct andthose who are committed to puppetry should be trained with a view tomeet the demand for professional puppeteers.

Puppets are controlled by artists who can't use their words. The story is gestured through the actions of the puppets.

Art troupes have partnered with the Cinematography and Theatre Collegeto host training courses for those wanting to join the unique art form.However, almost all the seminar participants said the training would notmeet demand for professional puppeteers.

The shortagehas also stymied creativity and innovation, according to Nguyen HoangTuan, director of Thang Long Puppetry Theatre.

He saidmany foreign visitors have told him that they see the same shows at theThang Long Theatre. They want to see new shows not the same ones overand over.

Vietnamese water puppetry became world famousin the 1980s leading to a spike in the number of professional puppetrytheatres and troupes in the country.

"Theprofessionalisation took about two decades but there has been a decreasein the number of artists staying to perform on the puppetry stage, andthere are few artists remaining to specialise in the traditional artform", said Ngo Thanh Thuy, director of Vietnam Puppetry Theatre.

According to Thuy, a traditional art form would normally developstrongly in the domestic market before going abroad to compete. "Overthe past years, the Vietnamese puppetry has not developed in this way,"she said.

"Setting up an art college for puppetry isvery necessary. It will be the right way to preserve the tradition,aiming to sustainably develop the unique art form," said Thuy.

The seminar was held alongside World Theatre Day on March 27. TheVietnam Theatre Artists Association has been a member of theInternational Theatre Institute since 2004.-VNA