David Glass Ensemble set to make children the stars

By Chris Brummitt

JAKARTA (JP): After taking their most recent work to over 40 countries in the past three years, David Glass and his ensemble have recently arrived in Jakarta.

The multidimensional nature of their trip to Indonesia will ensure a busy few weeks, including as it does theater performances, many of which will feature Indonesian street children, workshops for non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and an exhibition of writing and art work.

Residents of Jakarta can catch the ensemble's own work, Hansel Gretel Machine, part of The Lost Child Trilogy this weekend (Oct. 30 and Oct. 31) at Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) Arts center in Cikini. The Saturday show starts at 8 p.m, while the Sunday show is at 2 p.m.

The David Glass Ensemble is here at the invitation of The British Council, Indonesia, in association with the British Embassy, together with the main sponsor HSBC.

The following week will be devoted to assisting a group of local street children in creating their own dramatic work. The finished piece will then be performed on Nov. 6 and Nov. 7 at TIM, again with a Saturday evening show and a Sunday matinee. After this, the Ensemble will split into two groups to perform similar works with street children in Yogyakarta and Bandung.

These workshops will culminate in performances at the Bandung Arts Institute and Benteng Vrederburg in Yogyakarta on Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m.

Jakarta audiences can count themselves lucky to be having the opportunity to see this British theater group: Last year's tour of Great Britain by the same show drew rave reviews from the nation's theater critics.

As the name suggests, the piece is based on the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale. Glass uses this tale, featuring the birth, rejection and eventual survival of two children, as a starting point to explore childhood and its inevitable loss of innocence.

He says it is a very archetypical and mythical interpretation of the fairy tale, concentrating on the child's experience, adding, "There is a great deal written in newspapers about the plight of children, but what we want to focus on is the very center of it. What does it feel like to be that child."

The international success of Hansel and Gretels Machine rests not just on the universality of its theme, but also on the highly visual nature of the performance. Words are relegated to a very minor role; extensive use of mime, live music and dance take their place. Glass stresses that even though it is an experimental performance, its human side is not lacking.

He says of the piece and the trip to Indonesia in general, "Its really an experiment in communication. Globalization is often to do with the Internet and technology. Whereas ... (what we use) 'warm' technology is to do with theater, music, things of the spirit. We try to cross a lot of boundaries."

In line with the British Council's policy of promoting cultural exchange and cooperation between Great Britain and Indonesia, Glass is not here just to perform this work. Drawing on his experience of working with lost children (abandoned or abused children) around the world, the series of workshops that he and his ensemble are holding for NGOs and individuals who work with abused children are equally important.

The aim of the series is to help them use drama and creativity in their work with the children.

At the workshop held on Wednesday at the TIM Arts Center titled Childhood Explored Through Play, Glass' theatrical background was apparent in the ease in which he held the attention of the participants, some 40 people seated in a large circle. This was a workshop with games and role play, so entertaining that those present applauded when Glass broke for lunch.

Mayke Tedjasaputra, a lecturer at the School of Psychology at the University of Indonesia, is experienced in individual child therapy. She said she was very impressed with the mornings work, adding that she had come to learn group-work techniques for use in a planned crisis center for traumatized Acehnese and East Timorese children at the University.

Glass, now 41 and based in Islington, North London, has been acting since he was 16, having been born into a theatrical family. Growing up in America during the Vietnam war and his studies in Paris left him with a strong sense of the social role of the actor, which he says has reached its climax with this trilogy and the NGO work that goes with it.

Don't expect, however, to find a detailed examination of the issues surrounding child abuse or street children in either his work or the children's performances. Although necessarily knowledgeable about these topics, he says that "issues is not where theater belongs, theater is about the heart".

His workshops and performances for children are an integral part of this social role. In Jakarta, Bandung and Yogyakarta he plans to work with groups of 30 to 50 street children who will attempt their own version of the Hansel and Gretel myth. As much as possible it will be the children's feelings and ideas which will be voiced. He says that "the kids are the makers and performers of their own work. We're really there to facilitate it, make it look good and to make them feel affirmed".

He downplays the ability of this kind of activity to remedy social ills, conceding that the "bottom line is that the kids enjoy it". However, his and the ensemble's frequent return visits to countries betrays a more than fleeting commitment to social welfare.

After leaving Indonesia they are making their third trip to Hanoi where they are still working closely with NGOs. Here, they will assist the children to produce pictures and writing based on their personal experiences, which will form the basis of an exhibition at the performances and will later be used to make educational material.

For the David Glass Ensemble then, the hard work has only just begun. Thanks to the ensemble, a bunch of lucky Indonesian children will get a chance to star in their own show, and over 20 Indonesian NGOs will get to learn new skills. And for the rest of us? We get a chance to experience the many fruits of a highly acclaimed theater group at the height of their creative powers.

Tickets for all performances and further information is available from the British Council (Tel. 2524115) or directly from the box office at TIM Arts Center (Tel. 334740).