Workers' lot gets stage treatment

Workers' lot gets stage treatment

JAKARTA (JP): A lot of work and some play. A combination of
these two elements makes Teater Abu, most of whose members are
factory workers.

Teater Abu performed Mesin Baru (New Machine), their seventh
production, at Bengkel Teater Rendra in Cipayung, West Java, last
weekend. The venue was the studio of renowned poet W.S. Rendra.
Like their previous performances, the play depicted the reality
of their lives.

The play is bold in its message -- centering on controversial
issues in workers' lives -- yet also entertaining. Mesin Baru is
a collection of songs and dances offset by a serious monolog on
low wages and other unfair practices of the employers.

The play was directed by Margesti, who, as an actress, had
played for prominent theater groups such as Teguh Karya's Teater
Populer and Teater Sae led by her ex-husband, Boedi S. Otong.

"Most members are still new to theater, that's why I
approached them with singing and some light choreography," she
explained.

Sharp and bitter dialog was uttered by two main characters,
played by senior members, Yuli and Ami, who are both former
workers. Yuli portrayed the wife of a rich factory owner and Ami
was the wife of a worker who had just been fired. They brought
wit to their parts, which included a bathing scene on stage.

"I got the idea from an untitled poem telling the true story
of two female workers in Chile," said Margesti.

"It's very sad and describes the injustice they suffer, which
brings the message that the workers in the world share the same
fate," Yuli said.

Margesti said she got help on the music from people who
sympathized with the goals of Teater Abu. For the last three
performances, Sutan Vukarnie has arranged the music in
cooperation with several of Teater Abu's senior members, who act
as supporting musicians.

"Their acting comes from their honesty in bringing their own
life on stage," Sutan said. "They are no ordinary actors."

Margesti included several familiar songs such as Bunga Seroja
(The Seroja Flower) -- a Malay folk song -- and Di Wajahmu
Kulihat Bulan (I See the Moon in Your Face), as well as new
pieces composed by Budi LAB Studio. She also gave the group more
leeway in the creative process this time by letting them cowrite
some lyrics. These included, in translation, "our simple wooden
rented room/it leaks when it rains/too much overwork makes me
slimmer/ for lack of sleep".

Founded in 1993, Teater Abu was first organized by Yayasan
Perempuan Mardika (YPM), a non-governmental organization dealing
with female workers' issues. The YPM then appointed Margesti to
train and direct the group, which consisted of around 30 people.

"In the first one and a half years, the organization gave some
money to all members to cover transportation and meals during
rehearsals as well as to support the performance," said Yuli, the
producer, a member since the group's founding.

YPM stopped the funding as the theater group entered its
second year. Many of its members left.

Teater Abu had performed in unusual places. In 1993 they
played at the house of painter Jeihan in Bandung. In the next
year, they performed outside the Bulungan Youth Center in South
Jakarta, where the annual Jakarta Theater Festival was held
inside. Their next stage was an open amphitheater-like stage in
actor Ray Sahetapi's Studio Oncor, while the spectators sat on
wet-grassy embankment under the sky. Last year, in celebration of
Indonesia's 50th anniversary, they played on the street.

Four months ago, Yuli contacted some old members of Teater
Abu. They introduced her to factory workers in Tangerang, who
later became members of the theater group.

"These new members are amazing. They are really committed and
diligently came at their own expense every Sunday to rehearse,"
said Yuli, who worked in a factory for seven years before she
joined Teater Abu full-time. "They are also spontaneous and brave
in their acting."

New member Ida, a worker in a shoe factory in Tangerang, said:
"I was curious when first asked to join. I enjoy this very much
now. Beside I now have a medium to get things off their chest, I
also want to broaden my horizons and knowledge."

Mesin Baru was also the first time in Teater Abu's history
when it managed all aspects of the performance.

In raising funds, Margesti and Yuli contacted several
supporters. "They were surprised to find that Teater Abu still
exists. Some of them even agreed to donate on regular basis,"
Margesti said.

They also opened a stall on the sidewalk, selling cheap snacks
like baked bread. "We earned some money for transportation from
this stall," Margesti said.

Some old members also lent a hand with other off-stage
activities, such as use of space for rehearsals, transportation
and meals arrangements.

Teater Abu will perform Mesin Baru once more on Sept. 14, at 8
p.m., at Studio Oncor in Pondok Pucung, near Bintaro Jaya
Housing, Sektor 10, Tangerang.