Students bring pantomime out of shadows<\/p>\n
Kartika Bagus C., Contributor, Surakarta, Central Java<\/p>\n
Unlike dance or theater performances, which attract large
\naudiences, pantomimes enjoy less popularity. A pantomime
\nperformance, especially a solo act, often has a very small
\naudience.<\/p>\n
But Gadhang theater group of Sebelas Maret University's (UNS)
\nSchool of Economics in Surakarta tried to counter this situation
\nby holding the Central Java Students Pantomime Festival on their
\ncampus at the end of February.<\/p>\n
Pantomimes are mostly staged in an open space with the absence
\nof lighting. But this time it was held on a brightly lit stage
\nwith colorful lights. The result was surprising and proved
\neffective in luring a large audience.<\/p>\n
Some of the festival's participants included the Fajar theater
\ntroupe of Muhammadiyah University in Magelang, Central Java,
\nwhich performed Tetes Nitis Stress (Drops of Falling Water that
\nCause Stress) and Temis of the Semarang-based Diponegoro
\nUniversity's School of Law, which staged Mbak Susi.<\/p>\n
Those taking part from UNS included the Sopo theater of the
\nSchool of Social and Political Sciences, which performed Hujan Di
\nMalam Minggu (Rain on a Saturday Night); the Tessa theater of the
\nSchool of Literature, which performed Tubuh Kita (Our Bodies);
\nand the Peron theater of the School of Teachers' Training, which
\ngave their rendition of Supri Hero (Supri the Hero).<\/p>\n
Participants from other universities in Surakarta included the
\nLugu theater of Muhammadiyah University's School of Psychology,
\nwhich staged Alam Bawah Sadar (the Subconscious Mind) and Hitam
\nPutih theater of Setiabudi University with Halte (Bus Stop).<\/p>\n
Tetes Nitis Stress highlighted the flood problem, which
\nrecently hit most cities in the country, including Jakarta. The
\nperformance was quite interesting, especially the part about
\nJakartans who never expected they would be badly hit by flooding.<\/p>\n
Halte, meanwhile, dwelled on what happens to people while they
\nwait at a bus stop. The show managed to capture some strange
\nexpressions of people waiting at a bus stop. All had gloomy faces
\nmixed with fatigue and great hurry.<\/p>\n
Some of the pantomimists, mostly members of the campuses'
\ntheatrical groups, performed well and could bring out the
\naudience's emotion. Other pantomimists, for instance, focused
\nonly on creating a humorous atmosphere.<\/p>\n
Yogyakarta's veteran pantomimist Jamek Supardi said that on
\nthe average, participating actors were still looking for their
\nown identity as a pantomimist, giving the impression that they
\nwere wandering aimlessly. He attributed this weakness to the
\nparticipants' lack of preparation.<\/p>\n
He also criticized the actors' makeup, an essential accessory
\nof the pantomimist, which made them look more like clowns than
\npantomimists. Actually, the makeup, he said, was intended to
\nconceal the roles of a pantomimist, who is supposed to be able to
\nplay any role using the makeup.<\/p>\n
Moreover, he saw the need to minimize the use of symbols in
\nthe shows since, in his opinion, a pantomime is successful only
\nwhen it uses less symbols.<\/p>\n
The strength of the pantomime, he said, lies in gestures, and
\nthrough his gestures, an actor can convey his social criticism
\nand other things.<\/p>\n
\"Gestures in a pantomime present something that the eyes
\ncannot see but that are understood by the viewers. Of course, the
\nmovement of the eyes, hands and other parts of the body may
\nsometimes be needed to make the purpose clearer,\" said Supardi,
\n49.<\/p>\n
The veteran actor has presented many works laden with social
\ncriticism, like the show along Jl. Malioboro in Yogyakarta where
\nhe condemned police for failing to solve the murder of journalist
\nMuhammad Safrudin of the local Bernas daily.<\/p>\n
Supardi, however, realizes that many still view pantomimes as
\na form of the performing arts that does not have a bright
\nprospect, and instead prefer to pursue dancing, singing or
\ntheater acting.<\/p>\n
\"Only a few have decided to take up pantomiming seriously. I
\nbelieve pantomimes are the worst off financially, but in terms of
\nartistic style, it is better than other art genres.\"<\/p>",
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