'Wayang waton', a breakthrough to save legacy

'Wayang waton', a breakthrough to save legacy

Slamet Susanto, The Jakarta Post, Yogyakarta

During a wayang kulit (shadow play using leather puppets) show on
the slopes of Mount Merapi in Central Java recently, a man
suddenly jumped on the stage with the leather puppet of wayang
character, Wisrawa, in his hand.

He danced around the stage measuring four by eight meters and
acted the role of Wisrawa, who was in love with Dewi Sukesi, a
character played by a woman.

The man was actually a member of the gamelan orchestra who
played kenong (a type of traditional percussion). He was on the
stage for about three minutes before returning to his musical
instrument.

Not long after he left the stage, another musician appeared on
stage and played the role of another character. After performing
briefly, he left and was later replaced by another person.

Even though there each scene was played by different
characters on stage, the show, which was based on the Ramayana
story, was a resounding success.

That was a presentation of wayang waton (casual wayang) by
Cipta Budaya, an art troupe from Tutup Ngisor village, Salaman
district, Magelang, which is also located on the slopes of Mount
Merapi.

They were staging a story titled Kembang Karma. Unlike a
normal wayang kulit performance, which usually lasts all night
long, the performance lasted only an hour and a half.

"Usually, the shadow play lasts for the whole night and it is
tiring. It is not only the artists who are tired, but also the
audience. What's more, if the spectators are young people, they
seldom watch the show until it ends," said Sitras Anjilin, the
group's leader, after the show in Grogol hamlet near Magelang,
about two weeks ago.

For the presentation of wayang waton, Sitras explained, the
number of crew members -- musicians, singers and the puppeteer --
is not more than 10.

This is much less than the number of members of a wayang
kulit crew, which can among to dozens of people. He added that
the length of the wayang waton show was two hours at the most,
rather than the whole night long.

Wayang waton, according to Sitras, is a combination of wayang
kulit and dance drama. They also stage dances to keep the
interest of the audience. Every crew member can play at least two
characters, and can play musical instruments and sing.

On that particular night, Sitras played the characters Rahwana
and Wibisana. Another character, Adipati Kumbo Karno, was played
by Untung Pribadi, who was also a gendang player. Dewi Sukesi was
played by Wenti Nuryanti, a singer. Another singer, Sukarti,
played the character of Dewi Sarpokenaka, while the kenong
player, Rahmat Mukti, acted as Wisrawa.

V. Kirjita, a Catholic priest who was the host of the show,
enthusiastically welcomed the performance, which took place in a
church building.

"One of the purposes of the wayang presentation is to
transform as well as to preserve cultural values," he said.

A night-long shadow play can only be enjoyed by real art
lovers. They will follow each scene and the story told by the
puppeteer, and watch the show until it ends in the morning.

But for a not-so-dedicated art lover or an ordinary spectator,
watching a show from the evening until the next morning can be
boring.

That's why puppet shadow plays, legacies passed on from one
generation to another, are becoming less and less popular. They
are being left behind by modern art performances. When shadow
plays are staged nowadays, the audiences are much smaller than
they used to be.

"If the people are no longer interested in watching it, the
purpose of the presentation -- to nurture art and transform
values -- will obviously fail. But if we look closely, this art
form promotes noble values," he said.

Wayang kulit artists are aware of this and are continuously
striving to win back the hearts of Indonesian audiences, Kirjita
added.

Now, they may play modern musical instruments such as drums
and keyboards in the gamelan orchestra. There are even wayang
kulit shows that involve supporting artists in order to attract
bigger audiences.

Sitras added that his group, which was deeply concerned with
the present situation, was trying to balance the old with the
new.

"Based on this, we got the idea, why don't we try a new model
which is more interesting and more economical?" he said.

In the presentation of a show, he said, the transformation of
the values of the stories becomes the top priority. Through the
introduction of the wayang characters to the public, the audience
will be able to learn about the values of good and evil as
personified by the characters. The people will be provided with
references to help them lead their lives.

"But how can we introduce them to this if there is little or
no interest in watching wayang kulit? The younger people, who are
easily influenced, have no interest at all," he complained.

He hoped that wayang waton could redress this situation.

The results have been encouraging to date. Their recent wayang
waton show attracted a big crowd despite the cold and the drizzle
that fell now and then. Hundreds of villagers packed the church
building where the show was performed and watched it until the
performance ended.

Bambang, 39, a villager, said that the show was more
interesting than wayang kulit and it did not take up so much
time. In addition, the dances made the show livelier.

"I can also watch the wayang kulit show without having to
spend the whole night here so that I can get a good rest tonight
to prepare for my work tomorrow," he said.