Australia looks for local talent

SURABAYA, East Java: Australia's Black Swan Theater Company is planning to invite Indonesian puppeteers, particularly from East Java, to give all-night performances at the Perth Festival in early 1998, the company's director said here Thursday.

"There are no all-night puppet shows in Australia. We wish to organize some at the week-long Perth Festival in Western Australia," said Michael Lovric at a one-day seminar on shadow- play puppetry, Antara reported.

Lovric said he wanted to contact traditional Javanese puppeteers, called dalang, to see if they were interested in going to the festival.

There would be another arts festival in Sydney in July and August 1997, he said adding that he hoped dances from Java and Bali could perform there.

Djarianto, the chairman of the Association of Indonesian Shadow Play Puppeteers, said he welcomed the invitation and would recommend some well-known dalang to the theater.