Bandung's Studiklub illustrates freedom's obstacles

Bandung's Studiklub illustrates freedom's obstacles

By C.G. Asmara

JAKARTA (JP): After a successful run in Bandung last month,
Studiklub Teater Bandung (STB) performed Don Carlos at Teater
Tertutup, Taman Ismail Marzuki Arts Center between Sept. 2 and 4.
The almost empty house (most probably due to abysmal publicity),
witnessed a three-hour performance that, despite its length and
heavy themes, presented a number of powerful performances by
actors in Indonesia's oldest modern theater company.

Established in 1958 by Jim Adhi Limas (Jim Lim) and Suyatna
Anirun when they were first year students in the fine arts
department of the Bandung Institute of Technology, STB has been
consistently staging productions since. Dedicated to the study of
theater, the group has experimented with a number of different
performance styles, relying mostly on the Stanislavsky technique
of realistic acting and emotional recall. However, STB is also
known for its early experimentation with staging foreign plays in
Indonesian regional performance styles (mostly Sundanese) in the
1960s and 1970s.

Don Carlos, STB's most recent production, was written in 1787
by German playwright Freidrich Schiller. It was translated for
this production by Sulastri and Sugiyati. It is a tragedy
depicting the misfortunes of Don Carlos, the Crown Prince and son
of the paranoid King Philipp II in 16th century Spain.

Because of a series of letters of mistaken origin and the
insinuations of a covetous Duke Alba, Don Carlos is accused by
his father of pursuing the affections of Queen Elizabeth, Don
Carlos' stepmother. The Duke and Don Carlos are at odds because
they are each trying to win the attention of the King. While
Carlos may have been in love with the Queen to begin with, his
affections have actually transformed into those that a child
feels towards its mother.

In order to repay a childhood debt to his friend Don Carlos,
Roderick Marquis Posa volunteers as the scapegoat for King
Philipp's paranoid ravings about his son and wife. He is killed
by the King. Even though King Philipp regrets killing the
Marquis, because he thinks of him as a son, he is swayed by the
advice of the Chief Inquisitor to also execute Don Carlos.

On a personal level, this is a story of a son desperately
seeking love, affection and acceptance from his parents. On a
more universal level, what director Suyatna Anirun has painted
via Schiller's play is a very bleak picture of humanity and its
inability to persevere in the face of absolute power, even when
the seat of power occasionally shows compassion. It is an
illustration of the seeming impossibility of the younger
generation's ability to assume power from its elders. In the
process of their struggle, the younger generation becomes aware
of its own limitations, for the road to freedom is fraught with
obstacles.

While Don Carlos' struggle ends in tragedy when he is killed,
his spirit is strong until the last moment. It is Don Carlos'
semangat (enthusiastic spirit) that Suyatna wanted impress upon
the audience.

The performance differed from what many expect from STB, which
has become known for presenting foreign plays in a "Sundanese
style". But, according to director Suyatna, he was more
interested in pursuing the human themes of the play that deal
with individual rights, freedom of expression and overcoming
impediments and inequalities. While the actors wore Spanish
inspired period costumes, Suyatna explained that he had not
directed the actors to play Spaniards in the 16th century.
Rather, he asked them to act and react humanly, using their own
experience.

While the costumes and sets did not strictly adhere to the
period in which the play was set, they were conceptually strong.
The set, an expressionistic series of painted flats, were placed
in different configurations in order to invoke various locations.
The costumes, suggestive of traditional Spanish dress, were
colored in hues of maroon, brown and olive. With flowing capes
and feathered hats, the costumes helped the actors achieve a
strong dramatic presence on stage.

The music, mainly classical Spanish guitar interludes, seemed
slightly out of place in the otherwise medieval atmosphere. Given
the inquisition at the end of the play and the strong Catholic
presence in the story and imagery of the set, liturgical music
may have been more appropriate.

Suyatna Anirun and Studiklub Teater Bandung should be
applauded for continuously producing high quality, professional
performances for the past 37 years. While contemporary theater
performances have been few and far between this year, STB has
nevertheless remained active without disappointment.