Greater artistic freedom in new opera house sought<\/p>\n
By Rita A. Widiadana<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): You don't have to go to Broadway to enjoy
\nintriguing theater. Welcome to Teater Tanah Airku, Indonesia's
\nopera house.<\/p>\n
The sophisticated building, located at Taman Mini Indonesia
\nIndah, was inaugurated by President Soeharto last month in
\ncelebration of the park's 23rd anniversary. The ceremony was
\nhighlighted by the performance of Anoman Opera.<\/p>\n
Anoman Opera, by Nano Riantiarno from Teater Koma, is a
\nmarriage of modern ballet and traditional Javanese dance;
\ntheatrical and musical.<\/p>\n
The opera, produced by Nano's wife Ratna Riantiarno, will be
\nperformed for the public next month.<\/p>\n
Like Teater Koma, other playwrights and traditional and modern
\ntheater groups are now encouraged to stage their best works in
\nthe new opera house.<\/p>\n
"We have been crying out and complaining about poor facilities
\nfor the performing arts. Now, we have this opera house and every
\nartist should utilize it," said Hussein Kusuma, a management
\nboard member of Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, the Jakarta Playhouse.<\/p>\n
Performing a theatrical piece in an international-standard
\nopera house equipped with a revolving stage and a high-tech
\nacoustic and multimedia system was just an elusive dream for
\nlocal playwrights and artists.<\/p>\n
Dancer\/choreographer Sardono W. Kusumo once claimed that
\nIndonesian arts and culture were stagnant and almost unheard-of
\nin international artistic circles.<\/p>\n
"We don't have adequate infrastructure to foster our arts,"
\nsaid Sardono. Lack of support and appreciation from the
\ngovernment, the private sector and the public have devastated
\nIndonesian arts and culture, he said.<\/p>\n
Nano shared Sardono's views. "We have been isolated for quite
\na long time from the international cultural community."<\/p>\n
Having been ignored by such world-class artists as Sir Andrew
\nLloyd Webber, Cameron Mackintosh, Zubin Mehta and megastar
\nMichael Jackson, who prefer to stage their lavish shows in
\nneighboring countries like Singapore and the Philippines,
\nIndonesia is now proud to have an international-standard concert
\nhall.<\/p>\n
The 4,000-square-meter opera house, with a 1,070 seating
\ncapacity, and high-tech support systems comparable to the Sydney
\nOpera House, might now put Indonesia on the international
\ncultural agenda.<\/p>\n
Architecturally simple compared to elaborate traditional
\nbuildings in Taman Mini, Teater Tanah Airku emphasizes more on
\nits function as a theater.<\/p>\n
The building's construction, which took only a year to
\ncomplete, was financed by PT Yasawirya Indah Megamedia, a joint
\nventure of Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Indosat Mega Media and
\nYasawirya Tama Cipta.<\/p>\n
Youk Tanzil, the company's president, said at the opening
\nceremony on April 20 that building this opera house was aimed at
\nbolstering the local theater world and introducing the Indonesian
\npublic to international-standard cultural performances.<\/p>\n
"We expect local theater buffs will consider Anoman Opera a
\nsignificant breakthrough in the Indonesian theater world," he
\nadded.<\/p>\n
He said the opera house management would not only present
\nforeign productions but would prefer to entice homegrown
\nproductions like the Javanese legend Roro Mendut, Malin Kundang
\nfrom West Sumatra and stories taken from other local sources.<\/p>\n
Although Indonesia does not have an opera tradition in terms
\nof Western theatrical jargon, like Giuseppe Verdi's Aida or Llyod
\nWebber's Cats, the country has diverse folk theaters, including
\nWayang Orang, a traditional Javanese play, Arja from Bali, Lenong
\nfrom Betawi (indigenous Jakarta) and Bangsawan from Sumatera.<\/p>\n
Tjahjono Soerjodibroto, the company's commissioner, believed
\nthat a lot of people might consider the construction of this
\nmultibillion rupiah project a counterproductive venture because
\nthe country is still facing social and economic hardship.<\/p>\n
"Yet, we will take a positive stance," he said. "In this
\ncritical time, we must come up with ideas and actions that can
\nenhance our creativity."<\/p>\n
The idea to establish a world-class theater was a long-time
\nobsession of the Indonesian artistic community, the government
\nand the private sector.<\/p>\n
Hope<\/p>\n
The establishment of Teater Tanah Airku by the private sector
\nwas probably a real hope for local artists but a little
\nembarrassing for the government, the institution responsible for
\nnurturing artistic activities.<\/p>\n
A few years ago, under former Jakarta governor Wiyogo
\nAtmodarminto, the Jakarta municipality formed a consortium
\ncomprising government agencies, artists and the private sector to
\nrenovate Taman Ismail Marzuki Arts center and to build a world-
\nstandard theater building there.<\/p>\n
Blueprints for the center's renovation were widely exposed to
\nthe media as well as the public. Unfortunately, implementation of
\nthe project is still unheard-of.<\/p>\n
Indonesia now has a sophisticated opera house, but this is not
\nenough.<\/p>\n
"What we need now is action. We need artists, businesspeople
\nand government officials who are really committed to boosting the
\ncountry's art and cultural activities," said Ratna Riantiarno.<\/p>\n
Farida Oetoyo, director of Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, agreed
\nwith Ratna.<\/p>\n
In the past, Farida has argued that facilities were not enough
\nto encourage art and cultural endeavors in Indonesia. Freedom of
\nartistic expression, strong political will and commitment from
\nrelated parties are urgently required if we want to develop the
\narts and culture, she said.<\/p>\n
"It is hard to stage quality works if banning cultural
\nactivities continues," she said.<\/p>\n
Unless the management of Teater Tanah Airku and government
\nofficials provide a guarantee for freedom of artistic expression,
\nthe establishment of this valuable performing arts facility will
\namount to nothing.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/greater-artistic-freedom-in-new-opera-house-sought-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}