'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.