Traditional theater groups struggle to make a living<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): There were no glittering lights, no stereo sound
\nsystem, and no air-conditioned room with comfortable seats. Only
\nhumble stages with kerosene lamps and bamboo seats could be seen.<\/p>\n
Yet the nightlife in old Jakarta was enlivened with a myriad
\nof enchanting live shows ranging from jaipong, lenong, cokek,
\ngambang kromong, and topeng Betawi -- traditional Betawi art
\nperformances -- to wayang orang, Javanese puppet theater, and
\nSundanese theater performed by legendary troupe Miss Tjitjih.<\/p>\n
Every night people flocked to the places where their popular
\nprima donnas performed.<\/p>\n
But such shows could hardly exist in modern Jakarta. Many
\ntraditional performing art groups fail to attract an audience,
\nparticularly the younger generation.<\/p>\n
Forget the cliche \"art for arts sake\". Staging plays or dances
\nonly means money for these groups. It is really a matter of day-
\nto-day survival in the harsh world of the metropolitan.<\/p>\n
Numerous art groups in Jakarta and its neighboring areas
\ndesperately cry out for help. The once popular Miss Tjitjih
\ntheater group is just one example.<\/p>\n
The 80-year old traveling troupe is now facing its darkest
\ndays. If help is not around, Miss Tjitjih playhouse, once a
\nsymbol of Sundanese theater extravaganza, may become history.<\/p>\n
Miss Tjitjih, like many other traditional groups, is already
\nin a difficult situation. Every night, the troupe can only manage
\nto draw an audience of 10 to 40 people to its 350-seat capacity
\nplayhouse in Cempaka Baru, Central Jakarta. This is certainly
\ninsufficient to cover production costs, let alone support the
\nlives of its 300 members who receive Rp 2,000 to Rp 7,500 per
\nshow.<\/p>\n
But even worse, the troupe's members are now losing their
\nfoothold. There is no sound of laughter and no cheerful jokes
\namong these entertainers since fire turned their playhouse and
\ntheir belongings into ashes last April.<\/p>\n
Artist Boyot, who has been a group member for decades, said:
\n\"I just couldn't believe this happened to us. The fire left
\nnothing but the memory of our heyday.\"<\/p>\n
Established by Habib Abubakar Bafaqih in Sukamandi, West Java,
\nin 1916, the traveling troupe was named after its prima donna
\nTjitjih. The group began their venture in Jakarta in the early
\n1920s and found Senen in Central Jakarta the best place to stage
\ntheir artistic works for almost fifty years until the l970s.<\/p>\n
Miss Tjitjih became the city's \"Broadway\", where local theater
\nbuffs spent their nightlife watching the group's hits such as Si
\nManis Jembatan Ancol (The Lady at the Ancol Bridge), Beranak
\nDalam Kubur, (Giving Birth in the Grave), both horror stories.
\nThey also performed stories based on Sundanese folklores like
\nSangkuriang, Nyi Roro Kidul and the Mahabarata epic. Miss
\nTjitjih's plays inspired many blockbuster movies and television
\ndramas (locally known as sinetron).<\/p>\n
Figures<\/p>\n
Manager of the present Miss Tjitjih troupe, Abas Sudiana, said
\nduring that time the Miss Tjitjih playhouse served as both a
\nplace for entertainment for low-to-middle-class people as well as
\ncultural center for well-educated people. Several highly-
\nrespected figures, artists and other members of the city's elite,
\nparticularly those from West Java, frequented the performances.<\/p>\n
\"Pak Doddy (the late Doddy Tisnaamidjaja, former rector of the
\nBandung Institute of Technology and former Indonesian Ambassador
\nin France), Pak Ayip Rosidi (prominent literary figure) and Pak
\nKosasih Atmadinata (a public figure among the Sundanese community
\nin Jakarta) were our faithful visitors,\" Sudiana said.<\/p>\n
But all of the good memories were destroyed in the fire,
\nleaving a depressing atmosphere in the troupe's decaying communal
\ndwelling.<\/p>\n
Middle-aged Wawang Sugiarti said: \"I really hope the group
\nwill survive although our stage was completely destroyed.\"<\/p>\n
Despite the Jakarta municipality's promise to rebuild the
\nplayhouse and the troupe's housing complex, leader Sudiana said
\nhe was prepared for a gloomy future.<\/p>\n
\"If people do not want us anymore, the government should
\nprovide us with other jobs. Maybe we can take part in the
\ntransmigration program,\" Sudianana said.<\/p>\n
Other traditional art groups are also struggling.<\/p>\n
The fate of the Surya Jaya Ondel-Ondel group is no better than
\ntheir colleagues' at Miss Tjitjih.<\/p>\n
Bolo Kincron, 60, leader of the group, and his friends have
\nbeen struggling to survive for more than 30 years.<\/p>\n
When visiting his modest house in a narrow alley near Rawasari
\ndistrict, Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta, one can see a group of
\npeople making huge wooden dolls dressed in colorful sarongs and
\nkebaya for female dolls or sarong and beskap (local-style shirt)
\nlocally known as ondel-ondel -- now the symbol of Jakarta -- for
\nthe male dolls.<\/p>\n
For Bolo and his group, June is always the best month for
\nbusiness. They usually receive a bulk of orders to perform or to
\nmake the dolls to be used in various festivals to celebrate
\nJakarta's anniversary which falls on June 22.<\/p>\n
It will cost between Rp 500,000 and Rp 1 million to make an
\nondel-ondel. \"Our business only flourishes during holiday seasons
\nlike Independence Day on Aug. 17, and in June and December. In
\nthe other months, we don't receive any orders,\" Bolo said while
\ndressing several ondel-ondel dolls for the annual Jakarta Fair,
\nwhich opened yesterday.<\/p>\n
For performing ondel-ondel dances at a wedding party or
\ncircumcision ceremony for boys, the group charges between Rp
\n200,000 and Rp 500,000.<\/p>\n
\"If we don't get any orders, we will take to the city's
\nstreets to get money. On lucky days, we could earn between Rp
\n10,000 to Rp 20,000 a day, which we share with the musicians,\"
\nBolo said.<\/p>\n
Bolo urged the city government to pay more attention to
\ntraditional groups like his Surya Jaya.<\/p>\n
He said the government has frequently invited his groups to
\nperform at several events, but he felt that he was being
\nexploited by some officials.<\/p>\n
\"They made us sign blank receipts and we never know how much
\nthey charge our clients for our services. Every order should
\nfirstly go through the government office,\" he said.<\/p>\n
But it's not only irresponsible officials who benefit from
\nthese poor artists, other people also dare to cheat them.<\/p>\n
\"I have had bad experiences with some businesspeople,\" he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
One day, he said, some men visited his house and asked him to
\nlend several ondel-ondel to be used for their office party. The
\nmen gave him Rp 250,000 as a down payment.<\/p>\n
\"But since then, they have never returned my ondel-ondel. It
\nwas my fault. I thought they were rich people as they wore
\nexpensive clothes and drove luxury cars,\" Bolo said.<\/p>\n
Unlike Bolo or Abas Sudiana, Haj Bokir, a leading Betawi
\nartist, believes local art groups should be independent and
\ninnovative.<\/p>\n
\"That doesn't mean we don't need assistance from the
\ngovernment and other parties, but we have to explore our own
\npotency and develop our own styles to adjust to the changing
\ndemand,\" Bokir said<\/p>\n
Bokir and his Topeng Betawi group Setia Warga are confident
\ntheir future will not be so bleak.<\/p>\n
He frequently receives orders from local TV stations and other
\ngovernment and private institutions as well as individuals.<\/p>\n
The group has set fees at between Rp 500,000 and Rp 5 million
\nper show. Bokir works with 60 people, including actors and
\ntechnicians. Established in l965 by Bokir's father Haj Jiun, the
\ngroup is still striving to attract a larger audience.<\/p>\n
\"We have to create themes that appeal to an audience of all
\nages. Most of my actors possess natural talents. They can easily
\nimprovise and modify any theme or story without disturbing its
\nplot,\" Bokir said.<\/p>\n
Bokir is confident Betawi culture will survive in the future.
\n\"People still love lenong, and other kinds of Betawi
\nperformances. My audience is not limited to Jakartans. We are
\noften invited by people from Bali, Lombok and even Sumatra. Art
\nhas no boundaries,\" Bokir said. (raw\/03\/11)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/traditional-theater-groups-struggle-to-make-a-living-1447893297",
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