Teater Koma's 20th anniversary

JAKARTA (JP): Teater Koma will celebrate its 20th anniversary this year by holding a 10-day performance of a play, titled Sampek-Engtay, in Graha Bhakti Budaya, Taman Ismail Marzuki starting Sunday.

Screenwriter-director N. Riantiarno has adapted Sampek-Engtay, originally a classical Chinese love tragedy, into a local setting, around Banten and Batavia (Jakarta's former name).

The play will be produced by Teater Koma jointly with Pusat Kesenian Jakarta (Jakarta Arts Center), and will rely solely on ticket sales to cover production costs.

This will be Teater Koma's fifth production of Sampek-Engtay. The first production under the same title was banned in Medan in 1989.

Riantiarno said private companies were reluctant to sponsor his productions because they were afraid of the revocation of performing licenses.

Teater Koma's other productions, including Semar Gugat (Semar Sues, 1995) and Cinta Yang Serakah (Greedy Love, 1996), also could not get commercial sponsors.

In August, Teater Koma will also hold a one-month arts festival, called Jakarta Performing Arts Market, where artists from around the world will participate in the theater company's celebration. (Yenni Kwok)