A girl in a superhero costume, a young man sporting a shiny blue cape, chirping adults dressed in primary school uniforms, a middle-aged couple breaking into impromptu song and dance - Bollywood-style.
Bizarre? Perhaps. But at SDN Kenari 01 Elementary School in Central Jakarta these characters are actually conveying sensible life messages: work hard, avoid reckless spending, and save money.
On the receiving end is a group of fifth and sixth graders who watch eagerly as the characters perform plays about human beings and their relationships with money.
"Abu was asked by his wife to sell two eggs at the market place. Instead of doing that, he daydreamed about those eggs hatching, having more chickens and becoming a rich man..." The man in the blue cape illustrated Abu and his wife's imaginary dancing and singing.
The dance in Abu's daydream came to an abrupt end when he dropped the eggs, which was followed by his wife's seemingly incessant scolding.
The moral of the story? "It's no good just to imagine things without actually getting to work; it's good to plan ahead, better yet, make a budget so you can record your expenses and save money," the man said.
"Great story, Will Power!" The superhero-costume-clad girl, who just appeared, said.
The caped man, answering to his name, looked relieved.
"Thank goodness you're here, Agent Penny! I almost ran out of things to say," he said to the girl.
Secret agents Agent Penny and Will Power are two characters created by Citi Foundation to teach children around the world how to manage their finances.
The agents and other characters in the money-savvy sagas, originally told in comic book form, came alive in the capital through actors from the widely-acclaimed theater troupe Teater Koma.
The cast have performed in front of 10,000 primary school students in Jakarta and this year Citi Foundation, along with Yayasan Mitra Mandiri, is planning to reach 65 more schools.
Before the story of Abu and his eggs, the 20-minute set also featured a story of a father who lost his job and was thinking of giving up his daughter's insurance, and of a group of children almost lured into buying ridiculously expensive sneakers.
Along with the play, the foundation also distributed Agent Penny comic books and guides for the teachers to help teach students about money management.
Ratna Riantiarno, Teater Koma's Production Manager, said it was the first time the troupe designed a play especially aimed at children, and that the Agent Penny plays provided a good chance to introduce students to the world of theater.
"We take pleasure in being able to perform an interactive and entertaining play while at the same time conveying the message of good financial management for students," she said.
"The play is very effective at teaching students about money," a teacher said.
According to her, the students in the schools mostly come from less privileged families, and they usually only have around Rp 1,000 (10 US cents) to spend a day. Nevertheless, some of them still managed to put aside small sums to participate in the school's banking program, run in cooperation with parents. (dis)
