THE SEASON

A Season of Discovery

ATH’s SEASON is a new programming concept in Hanoi, created to give artists and audiences more time to meet, discover and connect.

Today, in Hanoi, many productions are presented for only one or two weekends before disappearing. This gives artists little time to develop their work, make their activities financially viable, and build genuine word of mouth. It also gives audiences very little time to discover new artists, new practices and new forms of performing arts.

ATH’s SEASON offers a different model.

Rather than focusing on a series of standalone shows, each SEASON explores a specific production, performing art form, artistic practice or theme over approximately one and a half months.

Across the SEASON, audiences are invited to discover the art form through a programme of artist-led discovery activities: production demonstration, knowledge sharing, conversation and guided participation.

The format and rhythm can vary according to the theme and the artists involved. Some sessions may focus more on seeing the art in action, while others may invite audiences to understand the practice, meet the artist or experience it themselves.

This longer format gives artists something that is increasingly rare: time. Time to share their practice, develop relationships with audiences, experiment with different ways of presenting their work, and build genuine word of mouth.

For audiences, it creates a different way of discovering performing arts. There is no need to decide everything at once. People can encounter an art form through one session, come back for another, recommend it to friends, or invite someone to discover it with them.

Over the course of the SEASON, curiosity can grow into familiarity, and familiarity can grow into engagement.

ATH’s SEASON therefore creates a regular rhythm of artistic discovery in Hanoi - giving artists time to share their practices and audiences time to discover, experience and connect with new artistic worlds.