Didi Petet, an actor with the heart of a mime

Didi Petet, an actor with the heart of a mime

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

"Shabby, huh?" said actor Didi Petet, catching my surprised look
at glancing around the faded building and surroundings of the
School of Performing Arts at the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ),
where he teaches and is an alumnus.

Forget Fame or Juilliard, the IKJ is filled with dusty and
gloomy narrow halls and classrooms.

"The IKJ is owned by Jakarta administration, but we hardly
receive any financial support," said Didi, 48, who was just
installed in April as the new dean.

Expecting any income from student tuitions is unlikely, as few
high school graduates enroll at the school, as they prefer more
"popular" majors, like cinematography or fine arts, which offers
greater job opportunities.

It will be a tough job for Didi to revive the school, but he
is eager for the challenge, because "it's the funnest school in
the whole world".

Talking with Didi confirmed my personal belief that the
humblest people are usually those with great talent and
experience -- although there are always exceptions.

He repeatedly apologized for being 20 minutes late, and spoke
gracefully, never boasting or in a way to diminish others.

Didi may not be the most eloquent nor most cerebral actor, but
he is certainly one of the most prolific. He has also
successfully crossed over to feature films and television,
instead of staying in the ivory tower of heavyweight dramatic
theater.

"There are no castes in acting. (That) Theater is higher than
film, film is higher than soap operas -- that's nonsense. All of
these are mediums for an actor," said the father of six.

Didi is no sell-out to "commercial" acting, and is still
actively involved in the local theater scene.

His portrayals are enjoyable and believable, breathing life
into a diverse repertoire of characters without overacting.

Aside from his role as effeminate Emon in the ultra-hip 1980s'
teen flick Catatan Si Boy (Boy's diary) and its sequels, another
memorable role was as a father in the touching TV drama Pulang
(Going home) in the early 1990s.

Under the guiding eye of the late Teguh Karya, a legendary
director, Didi convincingly acted the part opposite his troubled
young daughter (Rini S. Bono) and spinster sister (Niniek L.
Karim). Whereas Rini and Didi are contemporaries, Niniek is
around 10 years their senior.

He is a rare a gem, and it is no wonder that he tops the cast
list for up-and-coming directors.

He has recently starred in at least three films over the same
number of years: Petualangan Sherina (Sherina's Adventure, 2000),
Pasir Berbisik (Whispering sands, 2002) and last year's teen hit
Eiffel, I'm in Love, all of which struck a chord with young
audiences.

Didi attributes his acting talent to education -- aside from
his broad dramatic experiences.

"There are many good actors who have no formal training in
acting, but a school provides a method, a shortcut on how to
deliver a good performance. You'll find it anyway, even if you
don't go to acting school, but it takes longer," he said.

His reputation as a film actor is undeniable, but rarely is
his recalled as a mime, something he did in the 1970s as an IKJ
student, long before he ventured into film.

"I often performed as a stage pantomime with my friend, the
late Sena Utoyo. We didn't realize, however, that the form was
called pantomime -- until a German mime came and held a
workshop..."

Sena and Didi proceeded to explore the media in depth and
performed all over the country, eventually taking their act
abroad.

Pantomime groups were almost nonexistent back then, as Didi
explained, pantomiming is more difficult than acting.

In 1986, when the duo was invited to a six-month workshop in
Canada, they realized that there was more to a mime than white
makeup and mimicking.

"The pantomime in Western countries has gone beyond mimicking
and movement. There was an actor who dove into a large bowl,
throwing out pieces of plastic until it covered the whole stage.
Another actor did this semi-acrobatic thing, imitating a toy.
These are also considered pantomime.

"It seemed there was no limit anymore -- we could use props or
music. Since then, we had more confidence to develop our
pantomime," said Didi.

They threw out the white makeup and formed Sena Didi Mime, a
pantomime theater group. Its debut performance was in 1987 with
Becak (Pedicab), on their removal and banning from the city
streets.

Collaborating with other actors and musician Harry Roesli, the
group still sticks to the mute basics of pantomime, but they did
use their voices as background noises and sound effects.

"The sound of a door, for instance ... creak," he imitates.
"We can change it to, like, (whispering) 'Wiranto...' or 'Amien
Rais'. We can, can't we? It's not a word, just a sound," said
Didi.

Sena Didi Mime's signature style includes the elimination of
gender or even human identity.

Didi dedicated more of his effort and talents when he ventured
into film, which was more broadly appreciated than pantomime.

"The sad thing when you are a mime is that Indonesians do not
yet appreciate silence. They whisper, comment, boo -- even when
the performance hasn't started. That's another reason we use
music...," he said.

Fellow mimes are hard to find, as only a few can master the
difficult art, and production funds are sorely lacking -- the
same goes for theater.

"The performing arts need a lot of money. Here at the IKJ, we
can only provide theater space to students for their final exams.
Otherwise, they have to finance productions themselves."

It was a great and painful loss for Didi when Sena died of a
heart attack in 1998, at barely 45 years old. Sena, he said, was
the one who was fully committed to the art of pantomime, more so
than himself.

But Didi went on, although it was impossible to perform
annually as before.

This April, however, Sena Didi Mime performed its Kaki-kaki
Tangan (Accomplices), a portrayal of current events and
conditions, in which Didi directed his students.

"I haven't performed since the 1990s... My body is getting
heavier and I have trouble moving," he laughed.

Hopefully, the performance is not the last from the mime
troupe.

As for Didi, it is time for another film, although he is
secretive about it -- he only let it drop that he will play
alongside young actress Dian Sastrowardoyo and former MTV Asia VJ
Jamie Aditya.

"I enjoy each and every character I play. It's the feeling of
being a different person that I enjoy most," he said.