Sunjaya, an actor of three generations
By Aendra Medita
JAKARTA (JP): Mohamad Sunjaya is a name that may not ring a bell in the ears of many a drama buffs, but in view of his great contribution to Indonesia's modern drama, he may be on par with other famous names like Teguh Karya, Suyatna Anirun, Rendra or the late Arifin C. Noer.
More intimately called Kang Yoyon, he belongs to the same generation as Husen Wijaya and Nani Somanegara (both now switching to TV or full-length feature films) and is still faithful to the theatrical stage.
It was Suyatna Anirun, with his Studiklub Teater Bandung (STB), a modern theatrical group set up in 1958, who persuaded him to remain within the theatrical circles. Yoyon is really a professional in his theatrical work, a quality that Suyatna has admitted.
"His friends have often acted as sponsors for many of STB's performances. He himself is meticulous when it comes to a performance," Suyatna once said.
In the past two years, Kang Yoyon has been in charge of Actors Unlimited (AUL), a Bandung-based theatrical group. Though relatively a newcomer in the theatrical world, AUL has earned praises for its professional management during its performances. Everybody involved in a performance -- from actors down to the lowest level crew members can feel assured that everything related to the drama production, from honorariums down to transportation and rehearsals, will be well taken care of.
What counts most in Yoyon's personality is he is consistent in his determination to devote his life to the theatrical world. He does not mind at all being on the same stage as actors who are so much more junior to him. Neither will he object to act under the directorship of a young play director. Once, for example, Yoyon, who was born in Cikalong, Bandung in 1937, joined a performance under the directorship of a young play director, Fathul.
Between 1958 and 1970, Yoyon, now one of the senior actors of STB, was general secretary of this theatrical group. Fans of a private radio station in Bandung, Mara Radio, must be familiar with his voice as he is one of the senior broadcasters of this radio station.
Besides, Yoyon is also one of the founders of ISAI (Institute for the Study of Information Flows), which is part of the Utan Kayu Community along with Goenawan Mohamad, Fikri Jufri and Aristides Katopo.
One unique thing about Yoyon is that, as he has admitted, as a confirmed bachelor, he has never had a house and moves from one boarding house to another.
"It is really interesting to move from one boarding house to another as a person who has no wife," he joked.
As an actor, he has taken part in many drama performances and the titles include William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, Victor Igo's Karina Adinda, Art by French dramatist Yamina Reza, Anarchist Dies by Chance by Italian Nobel prize winner Dario Fo, Prince Sunten Jaya by Saini KM and A Twilight with Two Deaths by Kirdjomuljo.
On March 20 and March 21, he took part in Dead Voices by Dutch playwright Manuel van Loggem. The theatrical building was packed with Bandung's drama buffs during the performance. Originally scheduled for one day, the performance was extended for another day.
Yoyon is not only active in the theatrical world. He is also frequently involved in classical music concerts, operatic performances and so forth.
This year, AUL, which is under his charge, will celebrate its second anniversary on Aug. 28 and has planned a number of performances. AUL, for example, will take part in JakArt@2001 this month.
As an actor of three generations, Yoyon can be found in the Sundanese Encyclopedia, which was compiled by Ayip Rosidi and was published in 2000. In Tempo magazine of April 8, 2001, columnist I. Bambang Sugiharto wrote that, "the inner power that comes out when Yoyon is acting can easily overpower other people in the cast".
In a recent interview with The Jakarta Post, he shares his rich experiences in the theatrical world. He vows that he will never leave the stage and will always be there to perform.
What in the theatrical world attracted you?
From the beginning I simply liked theater. My buddies like Jim Lim (formerly an actor of STB, now settled in Paris), Suyatna Anirun (a drama director), Sutardjo (a psychologist and chairman of STB) were then all involved in theatrical activities. Being in their company made me like the theater and then to love it very much.
How have you been able to be consistent in devoting your life to the theatrical world?
Well, my friends at STB and I are really drama buffs. So we have a lot of energy and spirit, and this has made us survive. The method is simple. Just keep up the spirit.
What do you think is the most interesting thing about the theater?
The theater is life transferred onto stage. So, many things about it are interesting. Human behavior as manifested on the stage, for example, is an interesting point to us. Then human traits. Some people are cruel, while others are very polite. Well, there are many other things of interest about the theater.
How did you learn acting?
In my time there were a few drama and theatrical schools, like the Indonesian Art Academy (STSI) in Bandung and Solo, the Indonesian Institute of Arts (ISI) in Yogyakarta and the Jakarta Institute of Arts. Now there are a lot of acting methods and you can learn acting systematically. In my time, we only had the Indonesian National Theatrical Academy (ATNI), which had just been set up in Jakarta, and the Academy of Dramatic Art and Film (Asdrafi) in Yogyakarta. Here in Bandung, we only had a small theatrical group, STB. Virtually, we learnt acting from books.
What books did you read to learn acting?
Stanilavsky's Preparation of an Actor and Boleslavskyi's Six Lessons for an Actor. Now we have the Brechtian method, the method of Grotowsky, or Barba's method and some others. As an actor, I know them very well indeed.
Dis you have any unusual experience as a drama actor?
A lot. Among others, stage crimes, committed by your own mates. But this can be an interesting experience. A crew member or an actor, just out of fun, for example, commits a stage crime.
Can you live on drama alone?
No, the theater in Indonesia cannot give you enough to survive. So, when you decide to be active in the theatrical world in Indonesia, just enjoy it. In my case, for example, I'm active in the theatrical world, but I also work at Mara Radio as a broadcaster. This way I can survive (laughing).
It is said every AUL theatrical production receives a lot of sponsorship.
As a newly established group, AUL is really aware of the significance of professionalism. Therefore, it does not want to do anything that will create problems for the actors or crew. As for sponsors, it is a matter of hard work only. We contact many people and give them our proposal, so we get sponsors and our performances are good.
In fact, Fathul and I are really lucky every time we plan a performance. We get the support of fine artists like Jeihan or Sunaryo, and also from our media friends like Tempo magazine or Kompas daily.
It is also worth mentioning that we have two friends in Jakarta who always help us find sponsors in Jakarta. In our performance, however, we don't think there is any intervention from the sponsors. The performance is purely ours.
What has brought the theatrical world close to you?
As I have said, it is the spirit. Then my love for this natural world as it still gives me an opportunity to continue acting on the stage.