Sunjaya, an actor of three generations<\/p>\n
By Aendra Medita<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Mohamad Sunjaya is a name that may not ring a
\nbell in the ears of many a drama buffs, but in view of his great
\ncontribution to Indonesia's modern drama, he may be on par with
\nother famous names like Teguh Karya, Suyatna Anirun, Rendra or
\nthe late Arifin C. Noer.<\/p>\n
More intimately called Kang Yoyon, he belongs to the same
\ngeneration as Husen Wijaya and Nani Somanegara (both now
\nswitching to TV or full-length feature films) and is still
\nfaithful to the theatrical stage.<\/p>\n
It was Suyatna Anirun, with his Studiklub Teater Bandung
\n(STB), a modern theatrical group set up in 1958, who persuaded
\nhim to remain within the theatrical circles. Yoyon is really a
\nprofessional in his theatrical work, a quality that Suyatna has
\nadmitted.<\/p>\n
\"His friends have often acted as sponsors for many of STB's
\nperformances. He himself is meticulous when it comes to a
\nperformance,\" Suyatna once said.<\/p>\n
In the past two years, Kang Yoyon has been in charge of Actors
\nUnlimited (AUL), a Bandung-based theatrical group. Though
\nrelatively a newcomer in the theatrical world, AUL has earned
\npraises for its professional management during its performances.
\nEverybody involved in a performance -- from actors down to the
\nlowest level crew members can feel assured that everything
\nrelated to the drama production, from honorariums down to
\ntransportation and rehearsals, will be well taken care of.<\/p>\n
What counts most in Yoyon's personality is he is consistent in
\nhis determination to devote his life to the theatrical world. He
\ndoes not mind at all being on the same stage as actors who are so
\nmuch more junior to him. Neither will he object to act under the
\ndirectorship of a young play director. Once, for example, Yoyon,
\nwho was born in Cikalong, Bandung in 1937, joined a performance
\nunder the directorship of a young play director, Fathul.<\/p>\n
Between 1958 and 1970, Yoyon, now one of the senior actors of
\nSTB, was general secretary of this theatrical group. Fans of a
\nprivate radio station in Bandung, Mara Radio, must be familiar
\nwith his voice as he is one of the senior broadcasters of this
\nradio station.<\/p>\n
Besides, Yoyon is also one of the founders of ISAI (Institute
\nfor the Study of Information Flows), which is part of the Utan
\nKayu Community along with Goenawan Mohamad, Fikri Jufri and
\nAristides Katopo.<\/p>\n
One unique thing about Yoyon is that, as he has admitted, as a
\nconfirmed bachelor, he has never had a house and moves from one
\nboarding house to another.<\/p>\n
\"It is really interesting to move from one boarding house to
\nanother as a person who has no wife,\" he joked.<\/p>\n
As an actor, he has taken part in many drama performances and
\nthe titles include William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Victor
\nIgo's Karina Adinda, Art by French dramatist Yamina Reza,
\nAnarchist Dies by Chance by Italian Nobel prize winner Dario Fo,
\nPrince Sunten Jaya by Saini KM and A Twilight with Two Deaths by
\nKirdjomuljo.<\/p>\n
On March 20 and March 21, he took part in Dead Voices by Dutch
\nplaywright Manuel van Loggem. The theatrical building was packed
\nwith Bandung's drama buffs during the performance. Originally
\nscheduled for one day, the performance was extended for another
\nday.<\/p>\n
Yoyon is not only active in the theatrical world. He is also
\nfrequently involved in classical music concerts, operatic
\nperformances and so forth.<\/p>\n
This year, AUL, which is under his charge, will celebrate its
\nsecond anniversary on Aug. 28 and has planned a number of
\nperformances. AUL, for example, will take part in JakArt@2001
\nthis month.<\/p>\n
As an actor of three generations, Yoyon can be found in the
\nSundanese Encyclopedia, which was compiled by Ayip Rosidi and was
\npublished in 2000. In Tempo magazine of April 8, 2001, columnist
\nI. Bambang Sugiharto wrote that, \"the inner power that comes out
\nwhen Yoyon is acting can easily overpower other people in the
\ncast\".<\/p>\n
In a recent interview with The Jakarta Post, he shares his
\nrich experiences in the theatrical world. He vows that he will
\nnever leave the stage and will always be there to perform.<\/p>\n
What in the theatrical world attracted you?<\/p>\n
From the beginning I simply liked theater. My buddies like Jim
\nLim (formerly an actor of STB, now settled in Paris), Suyatna
\nAnirun (a drama director), Sutardjo (a psychologist and chairman
\nof STB) were then all involved in theatrical activities. Being in
\ntheir company made me like the theater and then to love it very
\nmuch.<\/p>\n
How have you been able to be consistent in devoting your life
\nto the theatrical world?<\/p>\n
Well, my friends at STB and I are really drama buffs. So we
\nhave a lot of energy and spirit, and this has made us survive.
\nThe method is simple. Just keep up the spirit.<\/p>\n
What do you think is the most interesting thing about the
\ntheater?<\/p>\n
The theater is life transferred onto stage. So, many things
\nabout it are interesting. Human behavior as manifested on the
\nstage, for example, is an interesting point to us. Then human
\ntraits. Some people are cruel, while others are very polite.
\nWell, there are many other things of interest about the theater.<\/p>\n
How did you learn acting?<\/p>\n
In my time there were a few drama and theatrical schools, like
\nthe Indonesian Art Academy (STSI) in Bandung and Solo, the
\nIndonesian Institute of Arts (ISI) in Yogyakarta and the Jakarta
\nInstitute of Arts. Now there are a lot of acting methods and you
\ncan learn acting systematically. In my time, we only had the
\nIndonesian National Theatrical Academy (ATNI), which had just
\nbeen set up in Jakarta, and the Academy of Dramatic Art and Film
\n(Asdrafi) in Yogyakarta. Here in Bandung, we only had a small
\ntheatrical group, STB. Virtually, we learnt acting from books.<\/p>\n
What books did you read to learn acting?<\/p>\n
Stanilavsky's Preparation of an Actor and Boleslavskyi's Six
\nLessons for an Actor. Now we have the Brechtian method, the
\nmethod of Grotowsky, or Barba's method and some others. As an
\nactor, I know them very well indeed.<\/p>\n
Dis you have any unusual experience as a drama actor?<\/p>\n
A lot. Among others, stage crimes, committed by your own
\nmates. But this can be an interesting experience. A crew member
\nor an actor, just out of fun, for example, commits a stage crime.<\/p>\n
Can you live on drama alone?<\/p>\n
No, the theater in Indonesia cannot give you enough to
\nsurvive. So, when you decide to be active in the theatrical world
\nin Indonesia, just enjoy it. In my case, for example, I'm active
\nin the theatrical world, but I also work at Mara Radio as a
\nbroadcaster. This way I can survive (laughing).<\/p>\n
It is said every AUL theatrical production receives a lot of
\nsponsorship.<\/p>\n
As a newly established group, AUL is really aware of the
\nsignificance of professionalism. Therefore, it does not want to
\ndo anything that will create problems for the actors or crew. As
\nfor sponsors, it is a matter of hard work only. We contact many
\npeople and give them our proposal, so we get sponsors and our
\nperformances are good.<\/p>\n
In fact, Fathul and I are really lucky every time we plan a
\nperformance. We get the support of fine artists like Jeihan or
\nSunaryo, and also from our media friends like Tempo magazine or
\nKompas daily.<\/p>\n
It is also worth mentioning that we have two friends in
\nJakarta who always help us find sponsors in Jakarta. In our
\nperformance, however, we don't think there is any intervention
\nfrom the sponsors. The performance is purely ours.<\/p>\n
What has brought the theatrical world close to you?<\/p>\n
As I have said, it is the spirit. Then my love for this
\nnatural world as it still gives me an opportunity to continue
\nacting on the stage.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/sunjaya-an-actor-of-three-generations-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}