Rendra to stage 'Dragon Tribe'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A foreign company has just set up a joint
\nventure in a country called Astinam to work on a mining project
\nlocated near the Seloka Valley, home to the indigenous Suku Naga,
\n(the Dragon Tribe).<\/p>\n
The Astinam government is very enthusiastic about the project
\nbecause it can generate a lot of cash for the country, not to
\nmention for the officials themselves.<\/p>\n
To make way for the project, the government plans to evict a
\nvillage's residents. This development project, which benefits
\nonly a few people, will destroy the centuries-old civilization
\nand ancient religion of the Suku Naga.<\/p>\n
The efforts to fight for their rights to their land is the
\nfocus of W.S. Rendra's play Perjuangan Suku Naga (The Struggle of
\nthe Dragon Tribe) which is to be staged at Graha Bhakti Budaya at
\nthe Taman Ismail Marzuki art center on Tuesday and Wednesday as
\npart of the Second Art Summit Indonesia: Performing Arts.<\/p>\n
\"The essence of this play is still relevant to the current
\nsituation in Indonesia although I wrote and staged it 23 years
\nago,\" explained Rendra, one of the most prominent theatrical
\nfigures in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Perjuangan Suku Naga deals with corruption, collusion, social
\ninjustice, natural exploitation and other development excesses
\nperpetrated by a government which ignores its people's voices.<\/p>\n
The struggle of Suku Naga actually symbolizes the continuing
\nendeavors of the Indonesian people to fight the unscrupulous
\npractices of the authorities and their cronies.<\/p>\n
\"After more than 20 years, Indonesia has not yet changed that
\nmuch. Only the cast members are new; the system remains
\nunchanged, said Rendra.<\/p>\n
To fit with the present sociopolitical situation, Rendra made
\nslight changes to his script. He also replaced some of the old
\ncast with new actors.<\/p>\n
The play involves senior members of Bengkel Teater such as Ken
\nZuraida (Rendra's wife) as the Queen of Astinam, who replaces
\nYati Angkoro. Adi Kurdi plays the chief of the Suku Naga.<\/p>\n
The three-and-a-half hour play is written in a Javanese puppet
\ntradition, presenting a dalang (puppeteer) and wayang (puppet)
\ncharacters.<\/p>\n
Supported by more than 30 cast members from Bengkel Teater
\nand musicians from the Surakarta Arts Institute (STSI), Rendra,
\nthrough his Perjuangan Suku Naga, invites the audience to search
\nfor a solution to the current crisis and to think of the
\ncountry's future.<\/p>\n
For many Indonesians, Rendra's works have always provided new
\nhorizons and clear perspectives on current issues.<\/p>\n
He was born Willibrordus Surendra Broto Rendra in Surakarta 63
\nyears ago. The son of devout Catholics, he converted to Islam
\nlater in life. His father was a language teacher and his mother
\nan accomplished classical dancer.<\/p>\n
Rendra has five children from his first wife, the late
\nSunarti, four from second wife Sitoresmi and two from his current
\nwife, Ken Zuraida.<\/p>\n
He originally wanted to be an army officer, but he did not
\nmeet the standard enrollment prerequisites as he majored in
\nsocial sciences instead of physics at high school.<\/p>\n
He studied English Literature at Gadjah Mada University in
\nYogyakarta and taught drama there although he did not complete
\nhis studies. He continued his study at the American Academy of
\nDramatic Arts in the United States.<\/p>\n
Upon his return from the United States, Rendra started to
\nshake local campus lives by echoing social criticism through
\npoems, monologues and plays.<\/p>\n
He fueled students' lives in the early l970s with new energy
\nand new spirit to fight against corrupt authority. His poems and
\nplays were the voice of the underprivileged groups in society.<\/p>\n
He was jailed in the early days of his career for public
\nreadings of his poems and plays, which the government argued
\ncould threaten national unity. The government also banned his
\ngroup in l979 from performing for eight years.<\/p>\n
Rendra and his Bengkel Teater is still flourishing despite
\nefforts to curb their freedoms of artistic expression.<\/p>\n
Rendra founded Bengkel Teater in Yogyakarta in l967. Among its
\ngraduates are noted scriptwriters, film directors, and actors
\nincluding the late Arifin C. Noor, Putu Wijaya, Azwar A.N. Deddy
\nSutomo, Sardono, Adi Kurdi, Putu Wijaya and Syu'bah Asa.<\/p>\n
Rendra's works, loaded with trenchant social criticism, have
\nserved as a moral conscience for many. It has also often got him
\ninto trouble with the authorities.<\/p>\n
His debut as playwright came at the age of 17 in l952 with
\nGoncangan Pertama (First Snag). He wrote his first short story
\ntitled Drama Pasar Pon (Pon Market Drama).<\/p>\n
He also wrote Orang Orang di Tikungan Jalan (People in the
\nCorner of the Street) in l954, which won him an award from the
\nYogyakarta Ministry of Education and Culture office.<\/p>\n
Other works include Sekda, Mastodon dan Burung Kondor,
\n(Mastodon and the Condor Bird), Kereta Kencana (The Royal Coach),
\nPanembahan Reso and Oedipus Rex.<\/p>\n
Among his poetry anthologies are Potret Pembangunan Dalam
\nPuisi (The Portrait of Development in a Poem), Bersatulah
\nPelacur-Pelacur Kota Jakarta (Unite Prostitutes of Jakarta) Pesan
\nPencopet Kepada Pacarnya (A Message of A Thief to His
\nGirlfriend).<\/p>\n
Rendra and Bengkel Teater has just staged Selamatan Putra-
\nPutri Solomon (The Rituals of Solomon's Children) at the
\nInternational Theater Festival in Kwa Chon in South Korea. (raw)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rendra-to-stage-dragon-tribe-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}