'Ludruk' in sorry state amidst gleaming urban entertainment

'Ludruk' in sorry state amidst gleaming urban entertainment

By Gin Kurniawan and Christanto W.

SURABAYA (JP): This folk art is suffering a really tragic
fate. It is on the brink of extinction, to be abandoned for good
by the community who actually gave birth to and nurtured it in
the first place. Efforts have been made to revive its former
glory but virtually to no avail. Ludruk, a uniquely East Javanese
folk theater in which all parts are played by men, is now hanging
between life and death.

This folk theater, which usually comes in the form of neatly
arranged contemporary drama pieces, is indeed in its worst
condition ever. It seems unable to lure audiences and it is as if
it is simply waiting for its time to vanish forever from the
community.

Even in Surabaya, a city where ludruk used to flourish, it is
practically dead. The ongoing urban development of the metropolis
of Surabaya will sooner or later make the glory of ludruk in East
Java only a thing of the past. Gone will be such big names as Cak
(Comrade) Durasim, Cak Markeso and Cak Kancil with their Ludruk
RRI group (which is aired by the state radio RRI), Cak Kartolo
with his Ludruk Kartolo cs., Cak Sidik with his Ludruk Sidik cs.
and even Cak Bowo with his Baru Budi group.

It is indeed difficult to find places where a ludruk group can
perform in Surabaya. There is hardly any entertainment stage
specially devoted for ludruk performances. The popular THR,
public entertainment park, which has until now been the site for
ludruk performances, seems to have turned itself into a symbol of
the destruction of ludruk itself. Although now it has been
rebuilt with the addition of an imposing mall, it is invariably
deserted.

Ludruk does not seem to be an attractive performance any more,
especially to the middle class up. People in this social group
prefer to entertain themselves with the big city shows that are
now easily found across Surabaya. Malls, supermarkets, plazas,
discotheques, pubs, karaoke bars and massage parlors have pushed
aside this traditional folk theater. While ludruk performances
are void of audiences, other places offering big-city
entertainment are packed with visitors.

Coma

Ludruk, however, is not quite dead yet. Maybe it is in a coma
of sorts. There are some groups fighting hard to ensure that this
folk theater will continue its existence. One of these groups is
the Irama Budaya group. Despite their limited means, they
continue to maintain their existence. They have rented a house in
a slum area close to the Wonokromo bus terminal. They have to go
through this bitter experience because every time they perform
the size of the audience is below the target.

"We have set a target of 100 - 200 people but it often happens
that only a few dozens turn up. Sometimes we have to perform
without any audience at all," said Karsono Yusuf, 45, the group's
leader.

Ironically, when a ludruk performance begins, dozens of becak
tricycle drivers outside are often seen laughing to their hearts'
content. They are not laughing at the performance inside the
building; they are laughing because of the funny ludruk
performance that one of the country's television stations is
airing. They find watching a ludruk performance on TV more
interesting than watching it live, and it is free.

A ludruk player is paid a meager sum. A ticket to watch a
ludruk performance usually sells for Rp 1,500. The proceeds are
usually insufficient to cover the spending, especially if this
includes payment of the 35-strong crew. "It is strange that we
continue to survive although each of us gets a maximum of between
Rp 5,000 and 10,000 if the house is packed," said Karsono.

This low pay has meant that many ludruk players have to do
side jobs. They work as construction workers or porters in
markets. While others - particularly the transvestites - have
turned to prostitution. After the performance they will sit at a
certain place waiting for their "clients". It is heart-breaking
indeed to watch how these ludruk players try to survive.

These ludruk players are well aware of the community's lack of
interest in their performances. That's why they have tried
everything to bring back the heyday of ludruk as a the popular
folk theater it was during the 1970s. One of these efforts is to
present a variety of stories. They have added to their repertoire
fictional and horror stories in addition to the usual heroic
stories of Sogol, Sarip Tambakoso and Sawunggaling.

Apart from presenting a different story every night, they also
invite a famous ludruk player such as Kancil, Kartolo or other
senior players to join their performances. In this way they hope
to be able to lure more people to come to the performances.
Unfortunately, they cannot do this often enough because,
according to Karsono, it is quite expensive to invite famous
ludruk players. Another reason is that the presence of these
former ludruk stars may not be a guarantee that the ludruk house
will be packed.

Now, ludruk groups can no longer depend on the theaters
provided by the regional government. So they have to move from
one place to another to perform for their fans. Usually, they
will have a lot of fans in lower class villages and they lament
the government's lack of attention to their development.

"We entertain the community. Only our group, Irama Budaya,
survives but why doesn't the government pay attention to us. We
do not want to see ludruk vanish," said Sakiyah, one of the
leaders of the group.

Some other groups have a more grizzling experience because
they have to perform in red light districts. Often they also have
to perform in slum areas. "It seems that our audience understands
that ludruk is only suitable for the urban poor," she added.

Outdated

Kasiyanto, a ludruk observer from Malang, said that ludruk has
been marginalized because of a cultural shift brought about by
the approach of modernity which a process that ludruk cannot keep
pace with. Consequently, Ludruk is now seen as outdated and
lacking in creativity.

Ludruk cannot come to terms with this swiftly-changing social
phenomena. It seems that something is preventing it from being
responsive to the real circumstances. As a matter of fact,
ludruk has always functioned as a reflection of the community it
finds itself in. But now, it depicts only old stories and often
only performs what it has been paid for.

Ludruk has been marginalized because it fails to keep pace
with the shift of the values of artistic expression of something
more progressive. It fails to respond with fresh ideas. Urban
people in big cities always want to see and hear something new.
Those working in the theatrical world must always come up with
fresh ideas and become avantgardists of sorts.

So now ludruk no longer has its power to serve as a medium of
struggle and a social mirror. To the lower-class people it cannot
fulfill its function as something that breaks down prevailing
norms. It is no longer edifying and cannot be used as a means of
social control any more. It has now become a fading form of
entertainment for factory workers, becak drivers, unemployed
people, bemo public transportation drivers and residents of
suburban villages, said Kasiyanto.

Will ludruk really be a thing of the past?