The Teatro London School's production of West Side Story in Jakarta from May 12-16 commemorates the 17th anniversary of the Stikom LSPR communication studies institute.
Although the Broadway musical theater production was inspired by Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, it has been revamped by the Jakarta performance school with a plot twist.
Staged at Prof. Djajusman Auditorium on the Sudirman campus in Central Jakarta, Teatro's ninth production involves more than 80 students in the cast and production team.
Written by Arthur Laurents, with musical arrangements by Leonard Bernsten and Stephen Sondheim, West Side Story portrays the rivalry between two New York City gangs - the American Jets and the Puerto Rican Sharks - fighting for contested territory.
The conflict begins when Tony, the former Jets leader, falls in love with Maria, Bernardo's (his rival) sister. Gang loyalties force their love to end tragically.
Our version of the musical focuses on the portrayal of love and family bonds. However, our production team chose to look beyond the clich*d love theme of most plays and focus on new dimensions.
The theme we picked also reflected our production preparation.
Production began in November led by production manager Heru Setiawan, the author and director, with assistance from Esha Mahendra and Dhita Widya Putri, and choreographer Robby P. Siregar.
We worked on the script, casting and rehearsals daily despite a handful of obstacles.
It was challenging to accommodate and synchronize a schedule that suited everyone. Each student had a different course schedule and various other activities beyond campus.
It was difficult to schedule rehearsals initially, but the commitment of our production team overcame these challenges.
We also learned the importance of understanding the characters of our colleagues, it was necessary to get along and feel comfortable with each other in order to create a great performance.
That is why this year's production took a lot of hard work and time, we took a personal approach to each team member.
Producing a play is not about fame and praise. It's like building a house, the production team builds the walls and the foundation, while the cast can be seen as the final beautifying features. The one thing that makes the house strong and beautiful is the students' discipline, commitment and creativity. Take that from me.
Masyasita Ramadhani
director of West Side Story
Teatro London School Stikom LSPR Jakarta
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