Teater Sae's 'Hamlet' depicts country's tragic downfall

By Rita A. Widiadana

JAKARTA (JP): After a five-year absence from the local theater stage, Teater Sae decided to present its newest production, a tragedy of politics, out of concern for the country's chaotic social, economical and political conditions.

The play Hamlet Menjelang Pemilu: Petunjuk Petunjuk Menjadi Presiden (Hamlet Prior to the Elections: a Guide to Become a President) will be staged in the middle of the campaigning period at Gedung Kesenian Jakarta from May 28 through May 30.

Eko D. Zenah, Teater Sae's production manager, said through theater work, the group's members wanted to share feelings of agony, their contribution to shape a brighter future of the country which is now facing complicated problems.

He said it was difficult to stage a play during the crisis in which people's attentions were averted to political and economic issues.

"But, we think that this is the right time for us to show our deep concern, to remind people of what is really happening in our country," he explained.

Hamlet , written by Afrizal Malna, tells the story of Hamlet alias Achmad who is desperately struggling to fight a devilish monarch.

The 90-minute play, directed by Busro Yoga, is inspired by Shakespeare's Hamlet.

Afrizal uses only a few of Shakespeare's characters like Hamlet (played by Wahyu), Horatio (Syaeful, a member of Teater Kubur) and Ophelia.

"This is a tragic play but not in the Shakespearean tradition," Afrizal explained.

Teater Sae's Hamlet, he said, mostly focuses on tragedy which befalls a country and its people because of a ruthless, incompetent and blood-thirsty regime.

"The play is rich in social and political nuances. It portrays the real situation in our country," explained poet Afrizal, who is now active in a non-governmental organization called the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC).

Hamlet deals with topical issues like mass violence, abduction, serial killings, corruption, campaign and the general election.

Afrizal went on to say that the play was written particularly to welcome the campaigning period and the coming general election in June.

"We consider this period very important. It might be a climax or an anti-climax of the nation's tragedy," he noted.

Today, political parties are mushrooming and are fighting each other to seize power. Power means money and full control of the people, he said.

"There are a lot of political clowns, corrupt and greedy leaders. They are just like theatrical characters on a real political stage," Afrizal said.

He said that he and probably a lot more people are now confused and pessimistic over the future of the country.

The coming election is expected to become a tool to change the fate of our people and to get rid of the present illegitimate and oppressive regime.

"But how can people elect leaders coming from unknown and absurd parties. We call them partai jadi-jadian," invisible parties," Afrizal said.

Teater Sae's Hamlet represents the confused generation. The generation which has always been repressed and cheated by the authority.

Afrizal deliberately creates a dark and gloomy atmosphere in this play, a trademark of Teater Sae.

Since its establishment in l983, Teater Sae is known as an experimental theater group. The group presented several noted works like Biografi (Biography), Migrasi Ruang Tamu (Migration in the Living Room) and Pertumbuhan di atas Meja Makan (Growth on a Dinner Table).

"This play resembles our own situation. We are now living in a dark tunnel. There is still no ray of hope," he said.

The coming performance will involve 30 people from Teater Sae and other groups.

Eko said that this time, Teater Sae invited theater people to take part in Hamlet. "It is collaborative theater work among talented artists," he said.

Among the Hamlet' crews are Dianto, an artist from the Bandung Institute of Technology, dance choreographer Benny, Sonny Sumarsono and Alex Iskandar who are responsible for stage and lighting. The play also involves artists from Teater Bandar Jakarta and Teater Kubur.

Afrizal said that theater people must join forces to create quality and continuous work.

There are a number of problems that have been hampering the development of theater in Indonesia, he said.

A lack of secure financial support, infrastructure facilities and new talent are among the crucial obstacles, he added.

"In the past, we had a lot of theater venues like Teater Arena and Teater Tertutup at Taman Ismail Marzuki arts center. They are closed now," he said.

Money is another problem. "It is difficult to find sponsors who can finance our productions. So far, Teater Sae relies on individuals who are willing to spend their own money to support us," Eko added.

Despite all the problems, Teater Sae and other theater groups in Indonesia must keep on working in voicing people's consciences, he said.