Life and times of an Indonesian star in Paris<\/p>\n
Kunang Helmi-Picard, Contributor, Paris<\/p>\n
In late September actor Tapa Sudana played the role of a Buddhist
\npriest in Yoshi Oeda's interpretation of Gustav Mahler's Song of
\nthe Earth in Paris. The opera production continues touring France
\nin early 2003 and will be presented at Carnegie Hall, New York in
\n2004.<\/p>\n
Nowadays this artistic Indonesian based in Paris is constantly
\non the move, running theater workshops for aspiring actors all
\nover Europe. Sudana has lived in France for almost 30 years. The
\ntalented dancer and actor, born in Denpasar in September 1945,
\ngrew up in Bali and attended school there, except for three years
\nin Sumbawa, East Nusa Tenggara.<\/p>\n
It was in Yogyakarta after studying engineering at Gadjah Mada
\nUniversity that Sudana's passion for theater was aroused. Instead
\nof looking for employment as an engineer he spent the next two
\nyears at an academy of theater and dance.<\/p>\n
Fellow Balinese director\/author Putu Wijaya asked him to join
\nhis Teater Mandiri and later well-known poet Rendra engaged him
\nas a member of his Bengkel Teater. For both theaters, Sudana
\nperformed a register of classical roles such as Claudius in
\nHamlet, Theresias in King Oedipus and Macbeth, besides
\nexperimental roles.<\/p>\n
Choreographer Sardono W. Kusumo whisked Sudana even further
\naway from his verdant home island in 1974. Sudana was engaged as
\nan actor and dancer in Sardono's production of La Sorciere de
\nDirah, which included dance, music and masks from Bali and Java.<\/p>\n
The production was invited to the Nancy Theater Festival in
\nFrance and went on to conquer audiences in Paris, Rome, Florence,
\nGeneva, Amsterdam and Holsterbro in Denmark.<\/p>\n
Sudana laughed and said: \"Then I broke my leg while playing
\nsoccer with the Indonesian Embassy team and had to stay here in
\nParis until it was healed. I have been here in France ever
\nsince!\"<\/p>\n
In 1975 Sudana acted in Serreau's Tabarin directed by David
\nEsrig at the prestigious Theatre de Chaillot in Paris. He also
\nfounded the Balinese mask company Patra with I Made Netra in
\nGeneva. The two were later joined by Soegeng, Dewi and French
\nmusician Jacques Fassola.<\/p>\n
After touring France and Tunisia, the company performed at
\nEugenio Barba's theater symposium at Theatre of Nations in
\nBelgrade in the following year. Patra continued to play to
\naudiences in France, Austria, Switzerland and Germany in the next
\nfour years until they disbanded.<\/p>\n
Famous British theater director Peter Brook called for
\nSudana's help in 1979 to teach Balinese mask and breathing
\ntechniques to his international actors. Sudana then participated
\nin the experimental play The Conference of the Birds which played
\nin Avignon, Paris, Berlin and Rome. The next year Brook's company
\ntoured Australia, New York, Lisbon and returned to Paris. In
\nbetween acting for Brook, Sudana teamed up with Soegeng and
\nPatricia Passat to present Javanese and Balinese mask
\nperformances in Paris.<\/p>\n
There followed several years of work with Brook in such
\nproductions as the musical Carmen by Bizet in 1983. Despite
\nworking for Brook, demand for Sudana by other theater directors
\ncontinued.<\/p>\n
As an example, the actor worked with Marcel Robert in Geneva
\nor acted in King Oedipus by Jose Luis Gomez directed by Stavros
\nDufexis in Madrid.<\/p>\n
The year 1983 also marked the first time Sudana acted in
\nfilms. It was the film version of Carmen by Brook and in early
\n1984, the French television production Rhapsodie en Jaune.<\/p>\n
After playing in Carmen in New York in 1984, Sudana also acted
\nin Elisabeth Shadow's music-hall production Oh, Jerusalem which
\ntraveled to Rome. That year was also marked by extensive
\npreparation for Brook's huge production of Mahabharata in which
\nSudana played the roles of Pandu, Shiva and Salya. Mahabharata
\nproved a great success at the 1985 Avignon Theatre Festival and
\ntoured Italy, Spain, Greece and Germany before showing in Paris
\nin 1986.<\/p>\n
In 1987, after dancing in Paris with Soegeng and Cristina
\nWistari, an Italian dancer who resides in Bali, Sudana again went
\non tour for nearly two years with the English version of the
\nMahabharata production in Zurich, the United States, Australia,
\nDenmark, Glasgow and Tokyo. The film version of Mahabharata was
\ncompleted in 1988. During this production, Sudana met his future
\nwife, Briton Pippa Cleator, who was then assistant to costume
\ndesigner Chloe Obolensky.<\/p>\n
Although Sudana still acted in Brook's production of The
\nTempest in 1990 and 1991, increasingly he began to diversify into
\nhis personal work involving flute playing besides pencak silat
\n(Indonesian traditional martial art), mask and theater workshops.
\nHe also cooperated with the traveling theater group Footsbarn,
\nacted in the Breton operetta Zarzuela in Vienna and Avignon,
\nbesides the show Bayu in Greece.<\/p>\n
The year 1994 was an important year for Sudana as he admitted:
\n\"I was thrilled to be able to play Sophia Loren's driver in
\nRobert Altman's film Pret-a-Porter in 1994. It was even more
\nexciting because Marcello Mastroianni acted with her, but
\nunfortunately the wonderful vintage car I had to drive broke down
\nseveral times during the takes!\"<\/p>\n
In 1997 Sudana himself was the star of the Franco-Vietnamese
\nfilm Tang The 11th in which he played the first Tang in an area
\nnear Hanoi.<\/p>\n
In July 2000 a very important actress made her debut in the
\nlife of Tapa and Pippa Sudana when daughter Lutschia was born.<\/p>\n
\"She has already shown her talent as a dancer and singer,\"
\nsays Sudana proudly, firmly ensconced in his new role as a doting
\nfather.<\/p>",
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