Workers' lot gets stage treatment<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A lot of work and some play. A combination of
\nthese two elements makes Teater Abu, most of whose members are
\nfactory workers.<\/p>\n
Teater Abu performed Mesin Baru (New Machine), their seventh
\nproduction, at Bengkel Teater Rendra in Cipayung, West Java, last
\nweekend. The venue was the studio of renowned poet W.S. Rendra.
\nLike their previous performances, the play depicted the reality
\nof their lives.<\/p>\n
The play is bold in its message -- centering on controversial
\nissues in workers' lives -- yet also entertaining. Mesin Baru is
\na collection of songs and dances offset by a serious monolog on
\nlow wages and other unfair practices of the employers.<\/p>\n
The play was directed by Margesti, who, as an actress, had
\nplayed for prominent theater groups such as Teguh Karya's Teater
\nPopuler and Teater Sae led by her ex-husband, Boedi S. Otong.<\/p>\n
\"Most members are still new to theater, that's why I
\napproached them with singing and some light choreography,\" she
\nexplained.<\/p>\n
Sharp and bitter dialog was uttered by two main characters,
\nplayed by senior members, Yuli and Ami, who are both former
\nworkers. Yuli portrayed the wife of a rich factory owner and Ami
\nwas the wife of a worker who had just been fired. They brought
\nwit to their parts, which included a bathing scene on stage.<\/p>\n
\"I got the idea from an untitled poem telling the true story
\nof two female workers in Chile,\" said Margesti.<\/p>\n
\"It's very sad and describes the injustice they suffer, which
\nbrings the message that the workers in the world share the same
\nfate,\" Yuli said.<\/p>\n
Margesti said she got help on the music from people who
\nsympathized with the goals of Teater Abu. For the last three
\nperformances, Sutan Vukarnie has arranged the music in
\ncooperation with several of Teater Abu's senior members, who act
\nas supporting musicians.<\/p>\n
\"Their acting comes from their honesty in bringing their own
\nlife on stage,\" Sutan said. \"They are no ordinary actors.\"<\/p>\n
Margesti included several familiar songs such as Bunga Seroja
\n(The Seroja Flower) -- a Malay folk song -- and Di Wajahmu
\nKulihat Bulan (I See the Moon in Your Face), as well as new
\npieces composed by Budi LAB Studio. She also gave the group more
\nleeway in the creative process this time by letting them cowrite
\nsome lyrics. These included, in translation, \"our simple wooden
\nrented room\/it leaks when it rains\/too much overwork makes me
\nslimmer\/ for lack of sleep\".<\/p>\n
Founded in 1993, Teater Abu was first organized by Yayasan
\nPerempuan Mardika (YPM), a non-governmental organization dealing
\nwith female workers' issues. The YPM then appointed Margesti to
\ntrain and direct the group, which consisted of around 30 people.<\/p>\n
\"In the first one and a half years, the organization gave some
\nmoney to all members to cover transportation and meals during
\nrehearsals as well as to support the performance,\" said Yuli, the
\nproducer, a member since the group's founding.<\/p>\n
YPM stopped the funding as the theater group entered its
\nsecond year. Many of its members left.<\/p>\n
Teater Abu had performed in unusual places. In 1993 they
\nplayed at the house of painter Jeihan in Bandung. In the next
\nyear, they performed outside the Bulungan Youth Center in South
\nJakarta, where the annual Jakarta Theater Festival was held
\ninside. Their next stage was an open amphitheater-like stage in
\nactor Ray Sahetapi's Studio Oncor, while the spectators sat on
\nwet-grassy embankment under the sky. Last year, in celebration of
\nIndonesia's 50th anniversary, they played on the street.<\/p>\n
Four months ago, Yuli contacted some old members of Teater
\nAbu. They introduced her to factory workers in Tangerang, who
\nlater became members of the theater group.<\/p>\n
\"These new members are amazing. They are really committed and
\ndiligently came at their own expense every Sunday to rehearse,\"
\nsaid Yuli, who worked in a factory for seven years before she
\njoined Teater Abu full-time. \"They are also spontaneous and brave
\nin their acting.\"<\/p>\n
New member Ida, a worker in a shoe factory in Tangerang, said:
\n\"I was curious when first asked to join. I enjoy this very much
\nnow. Beside I now have a medium to get things off their chest, I
\nalso want to broaden my horizons and knowledge.\"<\/p>\n
Mesin Baru was also the first time in Teater Abu's history
\nwhen it managed all aspects of the performance.<\/p>\n
In raising funds, Margesti and Yuli contacted several
\nsupporters. \"They were surprised to find that Teater Abu still
\nexists. Some of them even agreed to donate on regular basis,\"
\nMargesti said.<\/p>\n
They also opened a stall on the sidewalk, selling cheap snacks
\nlike baked bread. \"We earned some money for transportation from
\nthis stall,\" Margesti said.<\/p>\n
Some old members also lent a hand with other off-stage
\nactivities, such as use of space for rehearsals, transportation
\nand meals arrangements.<\/p>\n
Teater Abu will perform Mesin Baru once more on Sept. 14, at 8
\np.m., at Studio Oncor in Pondok Pucung, near Bintaro Jaya
\nHousing, Sektor 10, Tangerang.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/workers-lot-gets-stage-treatment-1447893297",
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