Behind the scenes at the VSA Culture Night
Yes, I’m acting in the show. No, I’m not in the club, nor am I Vietnamese. Does it really matter?
Before going to my first rehearsal in January for the Vietnamese Student Association’s Culture Night show, I knew almost nothing about Vietnamese culture. The extent of my knowledge spanned from pho to banh mi. My suitemate who has a friend in the Association (VSA) asked if I would be interested in a role in the show. I didn’t even know the name of my suitemate’s friend, who connected me to one of the directors of the show.
Thirty-eight years strong, the VSA Culture Night show acts to “serve as a platform for self-expression and exploration of issues affecting the Vietnamese Community.” This year it will be a three hour show, complete with a full-length play which is interspersed with songs and dances. So no pressure there.
VCN 2015: Safe To Shore PC – Gian Reyes Dionosa (via USC VSA Facebook)
Throughout the hour-long rehearsals three days a week (now upgraded to every day of the week as we approach the final week of production, also known as Hell Week), I got to know the other cast members and producers, and although I’m admittedly not much of a talker, I always felt at ease.
They were OK with me being on the quiet side, which, as an introvert, is always a plus.
VCN 2016 Rehearsal
There was something that struck me though as wholly unique to the experience: team bonding. For example, there was a sleepover in order for the cast to work on chemistry and relationships. As a Theatre major, I can attest to the fact that this rarely happens in typical productions that I had been in for high school.
We were expected to act like we love each other and oftentimes we did, but if not, we acted like the issue isn’t there onstage and that’s that. Nothing much exists other than rehearsal and the random funny moments that happen backstage, which bond us as much as they sometimes humiliate us.
And maybe the occasional cast party is thrown in. The connections forged by the countless hours of rehearsal and bonding, as well as allowance by the directors for cast input of their lines, embodies the central axis of Vietnamese culture: the bond of family and community.
Behind the Scenes VCN 2015 (via USC VSA Facebook)
Jamie Nguyen, one of the show’s directors, said about the upcoming night: “For me, the production is a medium that showcases snippets of Vietnamese culture to the masses.
“It provides a sense of nostalgia to members of the Vietnamese community, and it portrays our culture to people part of other communities.”
Maitlyn Phan, another co-director of the show, said: “I want culture night to emphasize how important it is to give everyone a chance to speak because everybody has a story that is not prevented by cultural specificity from resonating with our shared human experience”.
VCN 2016 Dance Rehearsal
This intention with directors directly relates to the actors.
Regarding rehearsals, lead actress Beverly Pham said: “It’s been great getting to incorporate a part of my Vietnamese heritage into an American college setting, and I’m excited to share the final product with my fellow Trojans and the Vietnamese community at large.”
Moving into the final week, I know I’ll miss the rehearsals and the people. I know cultural events may not be the highest priority on students’ “OMG I need to join this” list, but even if you’re not Vietnamese or not into these events, you will love this show.
Working on the show has proved to me that pho is just the tip of the iceberg of Vietnamese culture: come out to watch it at Bovard Auditorium at 6pm on Saturday, February 27, and perhaps you’ll discover the same.
PC: Kristal Ha