Gedung Kesenian to hold Festival Schouwburg II

By T. Sima Gunawan

JAKARTA (JP): Don't be surprised if you see people in glittering outfits flocking to Gedung Kesenian Jakarta from Sept. 6 to 14. Gedung Kesenian is celebrating its ninth anniversary and the invitees have been asked to don clothes with gold or silver elements.

Gedung Kesenian is organizing Festival Schouwburg II. The theme is "Stepping into the Future." Accordingly, the guests are expected to wear futuristic clothes, especially in gold and silver.

"I dare you to wear 'metal' outfits," Hussein Wijaya, vice chairman of the Gedung Kesenian management board, said.

The first Schouwburg Festival was held in 1993 with the theme of "Invitation to the Past."

Schouwburg is the old name of Gedung Kesenian. It was first built on the order of Governor General Raffles in 1814. The building, which was no more than a bamboo shed, was a place where the British soldiers could enjoy themselves and watch shows. Two years later, when the Dutch took over Indonesia from the British colonial government the building's stayed an entertainment spot. The Dutch later rebuilt the building from scratch. It was given the name of Schouwburg and inaugurated on Dec.7, 1821. Schouwburg was a favorite destination of the Dutch elite.

In 1833, the first international theater group arrived from France performed in Schouwburg. The show lasted for two months. Ever since then, performing art groups have been coming here.

The Japanese colonial government, which ruled Indonesia from 1942 until 1945, also kept Schouwburg going, as did the government of Indonesia after the war.

But things changed in the 1970s, a few years after Taman Ismail Marzuki was set up. According to Hussein, all cultural activities were concentrated at Taman Ismail Marzuki. The city administration rented the building out to a businessman, who turned the playhouse into a cinema.

"That was Gedung Kesenian's worst time," Hussein recalled.

Jakarta artists repeatedly urged the city to make Gedung Kesenian a playhouse again. Finally, in 1985, Governor Soeprapto agreed to terminate the contract with the businessman, and agreed to spend Rp 3 billion on a total renovation of the building.

At first many people, including the city councilors, opposed the project, saying it was a waste of money. But they changed their minds. The artists said the renovation of Gedung Kesenian was a question of national dignity. They argued that a dignified nation should show appreciation for the arts.

Governor Soeprapto inaugurated Gedung Kesenian on Sept. 5, 1987. The building was supervised by the Dinas Kebudayaan, the City's Culture Agency. Farida Feisol was appointed chairwoman of the Gedung Kesenian management board. Hussein Wijaya was her deputy.

Not long after the inauguration, Soeprapto's term of office ended.

"Our hearts were pounding. Well, different officials might have different policies, you know that," Hussein said.

To his relief, the new governor, Wiyogo Atmodarminto, gave full support to Gedung Kesenian. The current governor, Surjadi Soedirdja, also appreciates the role of Gedung Kesenian as a playhouse.

Farida Oetoyo -- she now uses her father's name after her recent divorce from Feisol Hasyim -- said the city administration pays for the maintenance, amounting to some Rp 100 million a year. Gedung Kesenian also receives Rp 30 million for the printing of its catalogs.

"We pay our employees ourselves," she said.

Gedung Kesenian earns its income from the sale of tickets, which cost Rp 15,000 or Rp 20,000. This is more than the ticket to a performing art show at Taman Ismail Marzuki, which go for Rp 5,000 or Rp 10,000.

Farida said she had expected Gedung Kesenian to become independent after three years. But she was wrong.

Gedung Kesenian has a regular audience for dances or classical music, but theatrical performances are usually a flop, with the exception of those performed by Teater Koma.

"We also have low seasons. In January, June and also during Ramadhan, the business is slow," Farida said.

"We hope that one day Gedung Kesenian will become independent, but we can't say when," she said.

Basically, Gedung Kesenian presents first class art groups only, which makes it different from Taman Ismail Marzuki.

But Hussein said that Gedung Kesenian also gives others a chance. They are allowed to use the playhouse if they agree to pay "an electricity fee." Gedung Kesenian, however, does not list their shows in its monthly program.

Clearly, only accomplished artists can take part in Festival Schouwburg II.

The festival will open with a street theater by Sena Didi Mime, who will perform in the parking lot of Gedung Kesenian on Sept. 6 at 7:30 p.m. This will be followed by Farida's Sumber Cipta Dance Theater, featuring Areinam. The dance, which has strong Balinese elements, was created by Farida and the music is composed by Wong Aksan, one of her sons. Her other son, Yudistira Syuman, is one of the dancers.

Gusmiati Suid and her Gumarang Sakti Dance Company will perform Seruan (Yell) by Gusmiati.

Salawat, a creation of Gusmiati's son, Boi Sakti, will be staged on Sept. 7.

There won't be any show on Sept. 8 and 9.

On Sept. 10 and 11, one of the country's best musicians, Sawung Jabo, and his wife, Susan Piper, are scheduled to present Bayang-Bayang (Shadows).

Teater Mandiri is scheduled to perform Gerr, a comedy, under the direction of Putu Wijaya on Sept. 12 and 13.

A classical music recital featuring Ary Sutedja on piano, Grace Sudargo on violin and Eric Awuy on bugle will be performed on the last day of the festival on Sept. 14.