Council asked to approve controversial theater project

JAKARTA (JP): The city administration asked the city council to approve the controversial Great Theater project in Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) on Wednesday.

E. Sjahrial, the cultural agency head of the administration, said the construction of the theater was mandatory considering that Jakarta, as the capital city, had no theater of an international standard in its acoustics, stage and capacity.

He compared the city to several cities abroad such as New York, Sydney and Singapore, which possess theater facilities of international standard.

"Jakarta has missed many international art performances since it doesn't have the appropriate venue for such events," he remarked, adding that it was the administration's vision to make the capital a city of international culture.

He said that the hall could be used for all art performances, including dance, drama and music.

The theater complex had been developed in 1996 at the cost of Rp 5 billion (US$526,315), but was suspended in 1997 when the economic crisis hit the country. However, it was continued last year at the cost of Rp 18 billion.

The cultural agency started construction again last year and it is expected to be completed in 2004. It is estimated that the total cost of the construction is over Rp 190 billion, which is derived from the city budget.

The Great Theater is located on an area of about 14,000 square meters in Taman Ismail Marzuki in Central Jakarta. The five- storey building will include the lobby, studio theater, lyric theater, dance studio, show rooms, exercise rooms, coffee shop, restaurant and three- star hotel.

The studio theater is designed to seat 300 while the lyric theater has a capacity of 1,200 seats.

An international theater project consultant will be hired to assist on the finishing of the hall, particularly the acoustics.

Sjahrial said that the appointment of a foreign theater consultant was based on their capability in managing theater complexes around the world.

This year, the agency expects to finish the construction of two floors of the basement and the studio theater. The basements will be used for parking with a capacity of 1,600 cars.

Many TIM artists were reported to object to the theater construction at TIM, which has been used by them for many years for their performances.

A couple of years ago, they reportedly held a demonstration to oppose the clearance of ten buildings, they usually use for their activities, for the project in the location.

Separately, the head of the Council's Commission D for development affairs, Sayogo Hendrosubroto questioned the amount of the construction fund which was considered as "too much", adding that it might draw public criticism.

He warned that the development of such a big hall would require more funds for its maintenance, which would be a burden for the administration in the future.

"But this project should be considered as a means to promote Indonesian culture, not only for performing international arts," he noted. (04)