Search for talent and expression in local theater<\/p>\n
By Rita A. Widiadana<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Dark clouds shadowed Indonesian theater in the
\npast month when the authorities banned performances of Ratna
\nSarumpaet's monolog, Marsinah Menggugat (Marsinah Accuses), in
\nseveral cities in Java and Sumatra.<\/p>\n
Their reason was the fear it could foment public unrest.<\/p>\n
Scheduled to be staged in 11 cities including Surabaya,
\nBandung and Lampung in southern Sumatra to mark the 27th
\nanniversary of the founding of the Foundation of the Indonesian
\nLegal Aid Institute (YLBHI), the 45-minute monolog was Ratna's
\ntribute to labor activist Marsinah.<\/p>\n
The young woman was found raped and murdered in 1993 in the
\nEast Java town of Sidoardjo, 25 kilometers from Surabaya.<\/p>\n
Despite her anguish, Ratna, long interested in the cause of
\nwomen, and her theater group, Satu Merah Panggung, pledged they
\nwould continue to battle to stage her work.<\/p>\n
Supported by colleagues, Ratna planned to file suit against
\nNational Police Chief Gen. Dibyo Widodo over the banning.<\/p>\n
Several theater groups -- among them W.S. Rendra's Bengkel
\nTheater and Nano Riantiarno's Teater Koma -- have frequently had
\nperformances called off, sometimes due to confusing citations
\nover social and security concerns.<\/p>\n
Noted poet and playwright Rendra said the reliance on bannings
\nreflected the authority's immaturity and poor understanding of
\nthe arts, and the character of existing regulations on local
\nperforming arts.<\/p>\n
Ratna said the ban was an "act of despotism" and violated the
\n1995 directive issued by the national police chief.<\/p>\n
This stipulates that cultural events -- musicals, dance shows,
\npoetry recitations, opera, pantomime and plays -- do not require
\npolice permission or prior notification of the authorities.<\/p>\n
In reality, theater groups are often forced to obtain permits
\nbefore performances.<\/p>\n
Threats<\/p>\n
Riantiarno recalled having to "pass dozens of tables" in
\ndifferent government agencies to get permits for shows. Sometimes
\nthe permit, when forthcoming, was issued just minutes before the
\nproduction's scheduled start.<\/p>\n
Radhar Panca Dahana, a poet and theater activist, said
\nIndonesian theater faced external and internal threats.<\/p>\n
Aside from obstacles such as bannings, Radhar listed several
\ncritical problems undermining its development.<\/p>\n
Financial constraints and the few active talented actors and
\nplaywrights have meant few groups can consistently stage quality
\nshows.<\/p>\n
This is not due to a lack of attempts to solve the problems.
\nNumerous seminars, workshops and meetings have been held on the
\nissues. Lots of suggestions but no concrete follow-up is the
\nresult.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, several theater groups have survived. One of
\nthem is Teater Koma which celebrated its 20th anniversary last
\nMarch.<\/p>\n
The group's endurability testifies to hard work and is a
\nphenomenon in modern Indonesian theater.<\/p>\n
No other theater group in the country has produced 80 works
\nand attracted 16,000 people in a year to watch their
\nperformances.<\/p>\n
Many theater figures, however, have criticized Teater Koma's
\nworks as being irreverent and too commercial, in the Western
\njargon of modern theater.<\/p>\n
Yet, this cannot detract from the group's contribution to
\nbridge the sizable gap between the mass audience appeal and the
\nelite theater circles.<\/p>\n
They have made an important effort to inject theater
\nappreciation into a society more receptive to simple art and
\nentertainment which does not lead to knitted eyebrows.<\/p>\n
Teater Koma's works like Suksesi (Succession), Opera Kecoa
\n(Cockroach Opera), Orang Kaya Baru (The New Rich) Rumah Sakit
\nJiwa (Asylum), Maaf..Maaf, (Sorry..Sorry) and Wanita Wanita
\nParlemen (Parliament Women), have provided many theater lovers
\nwith a winning blend of theater, entertainment and contemplation.<\/p>\n
Entertainment and Broadway-like glamor were found in an
\nadaptation of William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, directed by
\nJoseph Ginting and A. Azuzan at the Taman Ismail Marzuki Arts
\nCenter in July.<\/p>\n
Teater Lembaga Stage group brought together several
\ncelebrities: model and teleserial star Tamara Blezynski to play
\nJulius Caesar's wife Calphurnia, flamboyant couturier Harry
\nDharsono for the costumes and designers Stephanus Hamy and Taruna
\nKusmayadi to put glitter into the latest production.<\/p>\n
Stigma<\/p>\n
Despite the huge pre-performance hype, British dramatist
\nMichael Day praised Teater Lembaga's Julius Caesar as an
\nexcellent interpretation of one of Shakespeare's most powerful
\npolitical plays.<\/p>\n
In Indonesia, the theater bears the stigma of being
\nunprofitable, and big business is loathe to sponsor theatrical
\nprojects. But Teater Lembaga's Julius Caesar was an exception.<\/p>\n
The group spent no less than Rp 1 billion in production costs,
\na vast amount for a local show. The money came from various
\nsources, including donors and the sale of tickets.<\/p>\n
It was encouraging to see a joint effort of theater, fashion
\nand business community -- an effort which should have come long
\nago.<\/p>\n
Another joint venture, this time involving painters and
\nmusicians, was organized to support Suyatna Anirun's Studiklub
\nTeater Bandung (STB)'s performance of Julius Caesar.<\/p>\n
Nyoman Tusan and Hardiman were among the 38 painters who
\nexhibited and sold some of their artworks to help finance the
\ngroup's shows in Bandung, Surakarta and Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Musicians Harry Roesli and Doel Soembang also helped out for
\nthe latest production.<\/p>\n
Both productions of Julius Caesar were exemplary and worth
\nseeing this year.<\/p>\n
Several other performances of note were Pesta Terakhir (Last
\nRites) by Satu Merah Panggung Theater group.<\/p>\n
Like Ratna's previous works of Marsinah, Nyanyian Bawah Tanah
\n(l994) and Terpasung, the play focused on social injustice,
\nhypocrisy, abuse of power and corruption.<\/p>\n
The plot of the 90-minute play, directed by and starring Ratna
\nherself, was quite simple, as was the setting.<\/p>\n
Its strongest point was the dialog, not the acting.<\/p>\n
What made the drama interesting was its interpretation of the
\nwidening gap between the rich and the poor due to unequal
\ndistribution of wealth, and the unfair practice of monopoly.<\/p>\n
A different genre of the theater world are the groups among
\nworkers. Their main goal is to raise awareness of workers' rights,
\nprimarily among the workers themselves.<\/p>\n
Teater Aneka Buruh, popularly known as Teater Abu, most of
\nwhose members are factory workers, presented a worthy piece,
\nMesin Baru (New Machine) at Bengkel Theater Rendra in Cipayung,
\nWest Java.<\/p>\n
Founded in 1993, Teater Abu was first organized by Yayasan
\nPerempuan Mardika, a non-governmental organization dealing with
\nissues affecting women workers. They followed in the steps of a
\nsimilar group set up under Sisbikum, another NGO working with
\nblue-collar workers.<\/p>\n
Mesin Baru, directed by Margesti, was bold in its message.
\nThe play was a collection of songs and dances offset by a serious
\nmonolog on low wages and other unfair practices of employers.<\/p>\n
A theater group of children, like that among workers, is still
\nrare.<\/p>\n
In June, the Bela Studio group of children performed, dealing
\nwith issues of importance to underprivileged youngsters.<\/p>\n
The same month, Bela and Udik studios jointly performed Ojek
\nPayung (Umbrella Renters) -- a look at the lives of the
\nyoungsters who rent out umbrellas for small change on rainy days.<\/p>\n
A scene has an expatriate refusing the offer of an umbrella,
\nsaying the child will get sick. "No, no, we never get sick sir,"
\nsays the boy. "Take the umbrella and give me money." Bela Studio
\nprovided some hope into the regeneration process of the fragile
\ntheater world.<\/p>\n
Foreign theater groups also enriched the local stage.<\/p>\n
France's International Visual Theater (IVT) presented
\nSophocles' tragedy Antigone at Taman Ismail Marzuki in April.<\/p>\n
Sign<\/p>\n
Unlike other adaptations of Antigone, IVT's production was
\nunique. The theater group, whose members include deaf artists,
\nexperimented with a mixture of classical theatrical elements and
\nsign language.<\/p>\n
This form using sign language was popular in the international
\ntheater world in the early 1990s. Emboldened by the official
\nrecognition of sign language in 1991, the artistic community has
\nexpressed a renewed interest in sign language productions.<\/p>\n
To share expertise with their Indonesian counterparts, the
\ngroup held a special workshop on sign language theater at the
\nJakarta Arts Institute.<\/p>\n
Festival November -- a special event set to celebrate TIM's
\n29th anniversary -- was a historic moment and a rare opportunity
\nto watch quality performances by veteran theater figures.<\/p>\n
Teater Kecil, established by the late Arifin C. Noor, for
\ninstance, presented a play inspired by the calamity of the thick
\nhaze from forest fires, which thrust Indonesia into an unwanted
\nspotlight.<\/p>\n
Serving as a comeback after a long absence, Teater Kecil's
\nproduction of Kok Bisanya Sih Kau Bakar Hutan Itu (How Dare You
\nBurn The Forests?) featured senior theater figures like
\nIkranegara, Amoroso Katamsi, Arifin's widow, Jajang C. Noer,
\nYuyun Wahyudi and music director Embie C. Noer. The play was rich
\nin satire on current social conditions.<\/p>\n
The festival also featured other noted groups like Putu
\nWidjaya's Teater Mandiri, Teater Koma and Rendra's ensemble.<\/p>\n
Putu presented his old work, Dar Der Dor, written in 1991 in
\nKuala Lumpur, Malaysia, which also focuses on socioeconomic
\nproblems.<\/p>\n
Teater Koma also did Kala, a play about a greedy, mean
\ncreature whose only wish is to devour everything.<\/p>\n
The performance featured Nano Riantiarno, the founder of the
\ngroup, his wife, Ratna, and veteran actor Salim Bungsu.<\/p>\n
W.S. Rendra also performed with his wife, Ken Zuraida, in
\nKereta Kencana (Royal Carriage), an adaptation of Eugene
\nIonesco's The Chair.<\/p>\n
Despite the bans, modern Indonesian theater may probably still
\nbe in safe hands. The groups tried to give their best lessons and
\nexperience to the audience on what theater can teach people about
\nthemselves and the society on the brink of the next millennium.<\/p>\n
The themes may serve to elicit further contemplation of issues
\nwhich may have otherwise been overwhelming for many people.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/search-for-talent-and-expression-in-local-theater-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}