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Ten large stages with a combined area of 2,400 sq.m are being constructed to accommodate the festive activities during the 2004 Festival in the former imperial city of Hue - a UNESCO-recognized world cultural heritage.
Fifteen foreign art troupes and 28 domestic troupes will give 127 performances during the festival, scheduled to last from June 12-21. Part of the lotus-covered Tinh Tam Lake is being transformed into a stage for water puppetry shows, where 14 water puppetry troupes in the Red river delta, the cradle of the art, and a club in Hue city will display their skills. An auditorium with a seating capacity of between 800-1,000 is being built on Bong Lai (Wonderland) island in the middle of the lake.
Ao Dai fashion shows will take place on the Phu Van Lau - Nghinh Luong Dinh stage. A V-shaped stage, each wing of the V being 20 m long, is being erected over the canal running around the ancient castle, with the time-adorned brick wall of the castle serving as the background. The stage looks onto an open large grass field in front of Phu Van Lau (Phu Van Tower).
A 160-sq.m stage at An Dinh Palace will be for performances of Russian folk music, Chinese circus, South American and Vietnamese music, with seating for some 850 people. The largest stage, at 600 sq.m, is reserved for the festival's grand opening ceremony. The auditorium is capable of seating more than 2,000 people. Meanwhile, the stage for the closing ceremony, though not large, is built in the middle of the Perfume River.
Technical manager for Hue Festival Laurent Lahaut, who also took part in preparing the two previous festivals, came to the city several months ago to monitor the construction of stages. He is also in charge of technical preparations for performances by French art troupes and fashion shows by Vietnamese designer Minh Hanh at Kien Trung and Thai Hoa Palaces. (VNA
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