That night, a special event was held in Sunaryo Gallery in Bandung, West Java, during which artist Tisna Sanjaya and his wife Molly Agustina performed in a one-hour performance of The Proposal by Anton Chekhov.

Twenty-two years earlier, the couple had performed the play while still at university, when they were still dating.

That night, they again acted quite perfectly although their performances were interspersed with a lot of laughter not just because The Proposal is a comedy about marriage, but also because, after a long absence from theater, they had forgotten a large portion of their lines.

Luckily, Tisna and Molly could frequently cover up their shortcomings by improvising, in addition to being helped by another actor in the play, Yusef Muldiyana, who was also the director.

The play was staged as a special gift to observe the 50th anniversary of the Bandung Theatrical Study Club (STB), the oldest theatrical group in Indonesia that is still performing.

Present that night were, among others, Slamet Raharjo, Jajang C. Noer, Sutarjo A. Wiramihardja, who is one of the STB's founders, and Nani Somanegara.

The performance of The Proposal that night was important for the STB and for all theater workers in Indonesia because of the challenges involved in sustaining a theatrical group and making it world renowned. To this end, great patience and perseverance was needed.

Not many theatrical groups have the patience and perseverance required to survive, and the STB may be the only one in Indonesia with those qualities.

As the late Suyatna Anirun -- founder/director of the STB -- once put it, "One should not look at how old something is but at what it has done". This principle is also applicable to a theatrical group.

The STB was founded on Oct. 30, 1958, by seven university students, mostly from the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB). They were Adrin Kahar, Jim Lim Lian Jin (now living in France), Suyatna Anirun, Sutardjo A. Wiramihardja, Tien Sri Kartini, Soehramono and Thio Tjong Gie. Some of the founders have passed away.

From 1958 to 2007, the STB performed many original plays as well as translated and adapted works.

The first plays performed by the STB included works by Saini KM, Ajip Rosidi, Misbach Jusa Biran, Kirjomuljo, Bakdi Sumanto and many others.

The STB has also performed foreign plays that have been translated into Indonesian and these include works by William Shakespeare, Moliere, Tennessee Williams, Ionesco, Chekhov and Heinrich von Kleist.

STB activists have come and gone. Some continue to perform in plays while others have become film stars or entrepreneurs.

The STB is indeed a place for those who want to learn and gain experience about the world of theater. This group has produced a lot of dramatists that have now established their own groups.

"If you want to learn how to act, come to the STB Bandung. Never doubt it, as I know the STB is extraordinary. Directly or otherwise I have learned a lot from the STB," Slamet Rahardjo said.

Indeed, the STB has produced a lot of theatrical actors and many of them have set up their own groups, such as Actor's Unlimited, Creamer Box, Bandoengmooj, MainTeater Laskar Panggung, Kelompok Payung Hitam (KPH) and Teater Re-Publik.

Although STB founder/director Suyatna Anirun passed away on Jan. 4, 2002, the STB continued, dismissing fears the group would die along with Suyatna Anirun.

The concern is understandable because, traditionally, theatrical groups in Indonesia have depended greatly on their founding figures.

Arifin C. Noer's Teater Ketjil, for example, faded from existence with Arifin's passing. Likewise, Teguh Karya's Teater Populer followed its founder into the grave.

The STB is different. It was able to dispel this worry thanks to Suyatna's sound words.

His advice has strongly encouraged Suyatna's successors to ensure the survival of the STB.

The group celebrated its 50th anniversary this year by organizing monthly dramatic performances year round.

In January 2008, it organized four theatrical performances at the French Cultural Center (CCF) in Bandung and in GK Rumentang Siang.

Then, on Jan. 18, 2008, the STB performed Satu Malam Tiga Repertoar (One Evening, Three Repertoires), with Arya Sanjaya as the director, at the Auditorium of CCF Bandung.

More plays were performed, the climax of which was The Proposal on Oct. 31.

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