Greater artistic freedom in new opera house sought

Greater artistic freedom in new opera house sought

By Rita A. Widiadana

JAKARTA (JP): You don't have to go to Broadway to enjoy
intriguing theater. Welcome to Teater Tanah Airku, Indonesia's
opera house.

The sophisticated building, located at Taman Mini Indonesia
Indah, was inaugurated by President Soeharto last month in
celebration of the park's 23rd anniversary. The ceremony was
highlighted by the performance of Anoman Opera.

Anoman Opera, by Nano Riantiarno from Teater Koma, is a
marriage of modern ballet and traditional Javanese dance;
theatrical and musical.

The opera, produced by Nano's wife Ratna Riantiarno, will be
performed for the public next month.

Like Teater Koma, other playwrights and traditional and modern
theater groups are now encouraged to stage their best works in
the new opera house.

"We have been crying out and complaining about poor facilities
for the performing arts. Now, we have this opera house and every
artist should utilize it," said Hussein Kusuma, a management
board member of Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, the Jakarta Playhouse.

Performing a theatrical piece in an international-standard
opera house equipped with a revolving stage and a high-tech
acoustic and multimedia system was just an elusive dream for
local playwrights and artists.

Dancer/choreographer Sardono W. Kusumo once claimed that
Indonesian arts and culture were stagnant and almost unheard-of
in international artistic circles.

"We don't have adequate infrastructure to foster our arts,"
said Sardono. Lack of support and appreciation from the
government, the private sector and the public have devastated
Indonesian arts and culture, he said.

Nano shared Sardono's views. "We have been isolated for quite
a long time from the international cultural community."

Having been ignored by such world-class artists as Sir Andrew
Lloyd Webber, Cameron Mackintosh, Zubin Mehta and megastar
Michael Jackson, who prefer to stage their lavish shows in
neighboring countries like Singapore and the Philippines,
Indonesia is now proud to have an international-standard concert
hall.

The 4,000-square-meter opera house, with a 1,070 seating
capacity, and high-tech support systems comparable to the Sydney
Opera House, might now put Indonesia on the international
cultural agenda.

Architecturally simple compared to elaborate traditional
buildings in Taman Mini, Teater Tanah Airku emphasizes more on
its function as a theater.

The building's construction, which took only a year to
complete, was financed by PT Yasawirya Indah Megamedia, a joint
venture of Taman Mini Indonesia Indah, Indosat Mega Media and
Yasawirya Tama Cipta.

Youk Tanzil, the company's president, said at the opening
ceremony on April 20 that building this opera house was aimed at
bolstering the local theater world and introducing the Indonesian
public to international-standard cultural performances.

"We expect local theater buffs will consider Anoman Opera a
significant breakthrough in the Indonesian theater world," he
added.

He said the opera house management would not only present
foreign productions but would prefer to entice homegrown
productions like the Javanese legend Roro Mendut, Malin Kundang
from West Sumatra and stories taken from other local sources.

Although Indonesia does not have an opera tradition in terms
of Western theatrical jargon, like Giuseppe Verdi's Aida or Llyod
Webber's Cats, the country has diverse folk theaters, including
Wayang Orang, a traditional Javanese play, Arja from Bali, Lenong
from Betawi (indigenous Jakarta) and Bangsawan from Sumatera.

Tjahjono Soerjodibroto, the company's commissioner, believed
that a lot of people might consider the construction of this
multibillion rupiah project a counterproductive venture because
the country is still facing social and economic hardship.

"Yet, we will take a positive stance," he said. "In this
critical time, we must come up with ideas and actions that can
enhance our creativity."

The idea to establish a world-class theater was a long-time
obsession of the Indonesian artistic community, the government
and the private sector.

Hope

The establishment of Teater Tanah Airku by the private sector
was probably a real hope for local artists but a little
embarrassing for the government, the institution responsible for
nurturing artistic activities.

A few years ago, under former Jakarta governor Wiyogo
Atmodarminto, the Jakarta municipality formed a consortium
comprising government agencies, artists and the private sector to
renovate Taman Ismail Marzuki Arts center and to build a world-
standard theater building there.

Blueprints for the center's renovation were widely exposed to
the media as well as the public. Unfortunately, implementation of
the project is still unheard-of.

Indonesia now has a sophisticated opera house, but this is not
enough.

"What we need now is action. We need artists, businesspeople
and government officials who are really committed to boosting the
country's art and cultural activities," said Ratna Riantiarno.

Farida Oetoyo, director of Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, agreed
with Ratna.

In the past, Farida has argued that facilities were not enough
to encourage art and cultural endeavors in Indonesia. Freedom of
artistic expression, strong political will and commitment from
related parties are urgently required if we want to develop the
arts and culture, she said.

"It is hard to stage quality works if banning cultural
activities continues," she said.

Unless the management of Teater Tanah Airku and government
officials provide a guarantee for freedom of artistic expression,
the establishment of this valuable performing arts facility will
amount to nothing.