Sunjaya, an actor of three generations

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.