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).

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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)