'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?