(A performer is putting on makeup. /CFP)

On July 26 in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, a performer applies makeup for a traditional opera in the backstage area of a “living room theater” inside an apartment building. This isn’t a formal theater, but a kitchen-turned-stage in the home of Vietnamese director Leon Quang Lê. Every week, the director transforms his 40-square-meter apartment into a performance space.

(Leon is transforming his 40-square-meter apartment into a stage. /CFP)

(Before the show, the director discusses performance details with the actors. /CFP)

(Audience members wait at the apartment entrance to enter. /CFP）

In 2018, Leon directed the film Song Lang, set in 1980s Saigon. The story follows an unusual bond between a traditional Vietnamese opera singer and a debt collector. Today, he brings that fictional world to life by reviving a traditional opera troupe in his 40-square-meter apartment, staging classic performances each week and blurring the line between film and reality.

During the shows, folding chairs form a small audience area that fits just 30 to 50 people. With no tickets required, and actors performing up close in full voice and emotion, the setup offers young city dwellers rare access to a fading art form. The director’s “living room theater” is more than an artistic experiment; it’s a revival and reinvention of traditional culture.