Life and times of an Indonesian star in Paris

Life and times of an Indonesian star in Paris

Kunang Helmi-Picard, Contributor, Paris

In late September actor Tapa Sudana played the role of a Buddhist
priest in Yoshi Oeda's interpretation of Gustav Mahler's Song of
the Earth in Paris. The opera production continues touring France
in early 2003 and will be presented at Carnegie Hall, New York in
2004.

Nowadays this artistic Indonesian based in Paris is constantly
on the move, running theater workshops for aspiring actors all
over Europe. Sudana has lived in France for almost 30 years. The
talented dancer and actor, born in Denpasar in September 1945,
grew up in Bali and attended school there, except for three years
in Sumbawa, East Nusa Tenggara.

It was in Yogyakarta after studying engineering at Gadjah Mada
University that Sudana's passion for theater was aroused. Instead
of looking for employment as an engineer he spent the next two
years at an academy of theater and dance.

Fellow Balinese director/author Putu Wijaya asked him to join
his Teater Mandiri and later well-known poet Rendra engaged him
as a member of his Bengkel Teater. For both theaters, Sudana
performed a register of classical roles such as Claudius in
Hamlet, Theresias in King Oedipus and Macbeth, besides
experimental roles.

Choreographer Sardono W. Kusumo whisked Sudana even further
away from his verdant home island in 1974. Sudana was engaged as
an actor and dancer in Sardono's production of La Sorciere de
Dirah, which included dance, music and masks from Bali and Java.

The production was invited to the Nancy Theater Festival in
France and went on to conquer audiences in Paris, Rome, Florence,
Geneva, Amsterdam and Holsterbro in Denmark.

Sudana laughed and said: "Then I broke my leg while playing
soccer with the Indonesian Embassy team and had to stay here in
Paris until it was healed. I have been here in France ever
since!"

In 1975 Sudana acted in Serreau's Tabarin directed by David
Esrig at the prestigious Theatre de Chaillot in Paris. He also
founded the Balinese mask company Patra with I Made Netra in
Geneva. The two were later joined by Soegeng, Dewi and French
musician Jacques Fassola.

After touring France and Tunisia, the company performed at
Eugenio Barba's theater symposium at Theatre of Nations in
Belgrade in the following year. Patra continued to play to
audiences in France, Austria, Switzerland and Germany in the next
four years until they disbanded.

Famous British theater director Peter Brook called for
Sudana's help in 1979 to teach Balinese mask and breathing
techniques to his international actors. Sudana then participated
in the experimental play The Conference of the Birds which played
in Avignon, Paris, Berlin and Rome. The next year Brook's company
toured Australia, New York, Lisbon and returned to Paris. In
between acting for Brook, Sudana teamed up with Soegeng and
Patricia Passat to present Javanese and Balinese mask
performances in Paris.

There followed several years of work with Brook in such
productions as the musical Carmen by Bizet in 1983. Despite
working for Brook, demand for Sudana by other theater directors
continued.

As an example, the actor worked with Marcel Robert in Geneva
or acted in King Oedipus by Jose Luis Gomez directed by Stavros
Dufexis in Madrid.

The year 1983 also marked the first time Sudana acted in
films. It was the film version of Carmen by Brook and in early
1984, the French television production Rhapsodie en Jaune.

After playing in Carmen in New York in 1984, Sudana also acted
in Elisabeth Shadow's music-hall production Oh, Jerusalem which
traveled to Rome. That year was also marked by extensive
preparation for Brook's huge production of Mahabharata in which
Sudana played the roles of Pandu, Shiva and Salya. Mahabharata
proved a great success at the 1985 Avignon Theatre Festival and
toured Italy, Spain, Greece and Germany before showing in Paris
in 1986.

In 1987, after dancing in Paris with Soegeng and Cristina
Wistari, an Italian dancer who resides in Bali, Sudana again went
on tour for nearly two years with the English version of the
Mahabharata production in Zurich, the United States, Australia,
Denmark, Glasgow and Tokyo. The film version of Mahabharata was
completed in 1988. During this production, Sudana met his future
wife, Briton Pippa Cleator, who was then assistant to costume
designer Chloe Obolensky.

Although Sudana still acted in Brook's production of The
Tempest in 1990 and 1991, increasingly he began to diversify into
his personal work involving flute playing besides pencak silat
(Indonesian traditional martial art), mask and theater workshops.
He also cooperated with the traveling theater group Footsbarn,
acted in the Breton operetta Zarzuela in Vienna and Avignon,
besides the show Bayu in Greece.

The year 1994 was an important year for Sudana as he admitted:
"I was thrilled to be able to play Sophia Loren's driver in
Robert Altman's film Pret-a-Porter in 1994. It was even more
exciting because Marcello Mastroianni acted with her, but
unfortunately the wonderful vintage car I had to drive broke down
several times during the takes!"

In 1997 Sudana himself was the star of the Franco-Vietnamese
film Tang The 11th in which he played the first Tang in an area
near Hanoi.

In July 2000 a very important actress made her debut in the
life of Tapa and Pippa Sudana when daughter Lutschia was born.

"She has already shown her talent as a dancer and singer,"
says Sudana proudly, firmly ensconced in his new role as a doting
father.