'Republik Togog' staged for charity

'Republik Togog' staged for charity

JAKARTA: As a show of solidarity with the people of Aceh and North Sumatra and victims of the Dec. 26 earthquake and tsunami, Teater Koma is to stage Republik Togog to raise funds.

Producer Ratna Riantiarno told a media briefing on Monday that Republik Togog was to be staged on Jan. 6 and Jan. 7, 2005, at Graha Bhakti Budaya at the Taman Ismail Marzuki compound in Cikini, Central Jakarta.

"We are just stage people and this is something we can do to help. If we volunteered ourselves we probably wouldn't have the necessary expertise and we don't have much money either," Ratna said.

Jakarta Arts Council and Gramedia Pustaka are jointly sponsoring the production of the play.

Tickets will be sold for between Rp 100,000 to Rp 300,000, all of which will be donated to charity and channeled via the Kompas Humanitarian Fund for Aceh.

"We're happy that so many people are paying such a lot of attention to this charity show. So far the invitations that we have circulated have raised some Rp 40 million to Rp 50 million," said Ratna, wife of Teater Koma's founder Nano Riantiarno.

The support, however, has come mostly from actors who've signed up for the play without any expectation of payment. "Many came and took part after they knew it was for tsunami victims," she added.

A satire on social injustice, Republik Togog, staged in late July, was written by Nano Riantiarno who was inspired by the Mahabharata, Sadewa Tumbal, and Moliere's Tartuffe.

Members of the cast include Ratna Riantiarno, Cornelia Agatha, Tuti Hartati and Budi Eros. --JP