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Artists take on unsung heroes
Courtesy of Galeri Indonesia KayaTheater troupe Teater Koma are performing a dramatic reading of Nyaris (Almost) at the Galeri Indonesia Kaya in Central Jakarta, a story that was written by its founder Nobertus âNanoâ Riantiarno in 1972
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Courtesy of Galeri Indonesia Kaya
Theater troupe Teater Koma are performing a dramatic reading of Nyaris (Almost) at the Galeri Indonesia Kaya in Central Jakarta, a story that was written by its founder Nobertus 'Nano' Riantiarno in 1972.
The play had previously been aired by the national television channel TVRI and directed by the legendary Teguh Karya with
veteran actor Slamet Rahardjo among the cast.
In this latest production within the course of 55 minutes the audience are captivated by the conversation of five men and a woman who lock themselves in an abandoned warehouse filled with crates of soy sauce and rolls of paper.
There is fear, anxiety, anger and submission over the possibility of being betrayed by the warehouse owner, ethnic Chinese merchant Etek, while they are hiding from the Dutch military during the second aggression in 1948.
The revolutionary fighters were about to hold a secret meeting for their next attack on the military but found themselves to be sitting targets.
All are killed ' except for Amir (Rangga Riantiarno) who manages to escape and retell the story ' just three hours before their scheduled release. Etek had earlier been captured and tortured by the military.
'They are the sacrificial lambs ' the fighters have planned a big attack in another place,' Nano said.
'I wrote it based on true events at that time. The Indonesian Chinese, Arabs, everybody took part in the fight and made a sacrifice. That's what a revolution takes.'
The show is amplified by the use of visual graphics on TV screens. At the opening and the closing of the show, some parts of Chairil Anwar's Karawang-Bekasi poem on the young who died in the war is flashed on screen.
Another show staged by the Institut Musik Daya Indonesia (IMDI) musicians is Cerita Fatmawati (Fatmawati's Story), an opera that uses multimedia to enhance the storytelling.
The ensemble of seven, including two vocalists, perform an original arrangement of eight songs ' all telling the story that up led to Independence Day from the perspective of Fatmawati, the young wife of founding president Sukarno ' formerly her guardian.
The show is opened by IMDI founder, music professor and singer Tjut Nyak Deviana Daudsjah.
'We have taken on the challenge of displaying our cultural richness, including the history of the nation,' she said.
Fatmawati was a native of Bengkulu, whose birth name was Fatima. The mother of former president Megawati Soekarnoputri sewed two pieces of cloth to make the red-and-white flag which was hoisted during the Declaration of Independence in 1945.
When the national anthem Indonesia Raya is played on the violin, the ensemble members rise with their right hands over their heart as a cue to the audience to follow suit.
A song titled 'Aku Seorang Pecinta' (I am a Lover) gets the most attention with the vocalists, who play the roles of Sukarno and Fatmawati, entangled in discussion over Sukarno's decision to marry Kartini. The song is unique with intriguing lyrics that invite laughter from the floor.
Renitasari Adrian, program director of the Bakti Budaya Djarum Foundation, which manages Galeri Indonesia Kaya, said the shows were intended to provide the public with educational entertainment.
'The shows are unique and full of historical facts about the establishment of this nation, which calls for our support and appreciation,' she said.
