Traditional theater groups struggle to make a living

Traditional theater groups struggle to make a living

JAKARTA (JP): There were no glittering lights, no stereo sound
system, and no air-conditioned room with comfortable seats. Only
humble stages with kerosene lamps and bamboo seats could be seen.

Yet the nightlife in old Jakarta was enlivened with a myriad
of enchanting live shows ranging from jaipong, lenong, cokek,
gambang kromong, and topeng Betawi -- traditional Betawi art
performances -- to wayang orang, Javanese puppet theater, and
Sundanese theater performed by legendary troupe Miss Tjitjih.

Every night people flocked to the places where their popular
prima donnas performed.

But such shows could hardly exist in modern Jakarta. Many
traditional performing art groups fail to attract an audience,
particularly the younger generation.

Forget the cliche "art for arts sake". Staging plays or dances
only means money for these groups. It is really a matter of day-
to-day survival in the harsh world of the metropolitan.

Numerous art groups in Jakarta and its neighboring areas
desperately cry out for help. The once popular Miss Tjitjih
theater group is just one example.

The 80-year old traveling troupe is now facing its darkest
days. If help is not around, Miss Tjitjih playhouse, once a
symbol of Sundanese theater extravaganza, may become history.

Miss Tjitjih, like many other traditional groups, is already
in a difficult situation. Every night, the troupe can only manage
to draw an audience of 10 to 40 people to its 350-seat capacity
playhouse in Cempaka Baru, Central Jakarta. This is certainly
insufficient to cover production costs, let alone support the
lives of its 300 members who receive Rp 2,000 to Rp 7,500 per
show.

But even worse, the troupe's members are now losing their
foothold. There is no sound of laughter and no cheerful jokes
among these entertainers since fire turned their playhouse and
their belongings into ashes last April.

Artist Boyot, who has been a group member for decades, said:
"I just couldn't believe this happened to us. The fire left
nothing but the memory of our heyday."

Established by Habib Abubakar Bafaqih in Sukamandi, West Java,
in 1916, the traveling troupe was named after its prima donna
Tjitjih. The group began their venture in Jakarta in the early
1920s and found Senen in Central Jakarta the best place to stage
their artistic works for almost fifty years until the l970s.

Miss Tjitjih became the city's "Broadway", where local theater
buffs spent their nightlife watching the group's hits such as Si
Manis Jembatan Ancol (The Lady at the Ancol Bridge), Beranak
Dalam Kubur, (Giving Birth in the Grave), both horror stories.
They also performed stories based on Sundanese folklores like
Sangkuriang, Nyi Roro Kidul and the Mahabarata epic. Miss
Tjitjih's plays inspired many blockbuster movies and television
dramas (locally known as sinetron).

Figures

Manager of the present Miss Tjitjih troupe, Abas Sudiana, said
during that time the Miss Tjitjih playhouse served as both a
place for entertainment for low-to-middle-class people as well as
cultural center for well-educated people. Several highly-
respected figures, artists and other members of the city's elite,
particularly those from West Java, frequented the performances.

"Pak Doddy (the late Doddy Tisnaamidjaja, former rector of the
Bandung Institute of Technology and former Indonesian Ambassador
in France), Pak Ayip Rosidi (prominent literary figure) and Pak
Kosasih Atmadinata (a public figure among the Sundanese community
in Jakarta) were our faithful visitors," Sudiana said.

But all of the good memories were destroyed in the fire,
leaving a depressing atmosphere in the troupe's decaying communal
dwelling.

Middle-aged Wawang Sugiarti said: "I really hope the group
will survive although our stage was completely destroyed."

Despite the Jakarta municipality's promise to rebuild the
playhouse and the troupe's housing complex, leader Sudiana said
he was prepared for a gloomy future.

"If people do not want us anymore, the government should
provide us with other jobs. Maybe we can take part in the
transmigration program," Sudianana said.

Other traditional art groups are also struggling.

The fate of the Surya Jaya Ondel-Ondel group is no better than
their colleagues' at Miss Tjitjih.

Bolo Kincron, 60, leader of the group, and his friends have
been struggling to survive for more than 30 years.

When visiting his modest house in a narrow alley near Rawasari
district, Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta, one can see a group of
people making huge wooden dolls dressed in colorful sarongs and
kebaya for female dolls or sarong and beskap (local-style shirt)
locally known as ondel-ondel -- now the symbol of Jakarta -- for
the male dolls.

For Bolo and his group, June is always the best month for
business. They usually receive a bulk of orders to perform or to
make the dolls to be used in various festivals to celebrate
Jakarta's anniversary which falls on June 22.

It will cost between Rp 500,000 and Rp 1 million to make an
ondel-ondel. "Our business only flourishes during holiday seasons
like Independence Day on Aug. 17, and in June and December. In
the other months, we don't receive any orders," Bolo said while
dressing several ondel-ondel dolls for the annual Jakarta Fair,
which opened yesterday.

For performing ondel-ondel dances at a wedding party or
circumcision ceremony for boys, the group charges between Rp
200,000 and Rp 500,000.

"If we don't get any orders, we will take to the city's
streets to get money. On lucky days, we could earn between Rp
10,000 to Rp 20,000 a day, which we share with the musicians,"
Bolo said.

Bolo urged the city government to pay more attention to
traditional groups like his Surya Jaya.

He said the government has frequently invited his groups to
perform at several events, but he felt that he was being
exploited by some officials.

"They made us sign blank receipts and we never know how much
they charge our clients for our services. Every order should
firstly go through the government office," he said.

But it's not only irresponsible officials who benefit from
these poor artists, other people also dare to cheat them.

"I have had bad experiences with some businesspeople," he
said.

One day, he said, some men visited his house and asked him to
lend several ondel-ondel to be used for their office party. The
men gave him Rp 250,000 as a down payment.

"But since then, they have never returned my ondel-ondel. It
was my fault. I thought they were rich people as they wore
expensive clothes and drove luxury cars," Bolo said.

Unlike Bolo or Abas Sudiana, Haj Bokir, a leading Betawi
artist, believes local art groups should be independent and
innovative.

"That doesn't mean we don't need assistance from the
government and other parties, but we have to explore our own
potency and develop our own styles to adjust to the changing
demand," Bokir said

Bokir and his Topeng Betawi group Setia Warga are confident
their future will not be so bleak.

He frequently receives orders from local TV stations and other
government and private institutions as well as individuals.

The group has set fees at between Rp 500,000 and Rp 5 million
per show. Bokir works with 60 people, including actors and
technicians. Established in l965 by Bokir's father Haj Jiun, the
group is still striving to attract a larger audience.

"We have to create themes that appeal to an audience of all
ages. Most of my actors possess natural talents. They can easily
improvise and modify any theme or story without disturbing its
plot," Bokir said.

Bokir is confident Betawi culture will survive in the future.
"People still love lenong, and other kinds of Betawi
performances. My audience is not limited to Jakartans. We are
often invited by people from Bali, Lombok and even Sumatra. Art
has no boundaries," Bokir said. (raw/03/11)