Established in 2017, Operet Aku Anak Rusun highlights stories about children living in low-cost apartments.

In November last year, the project performed Selendang Arimbi, which tells the story of a little girl who lives in a low-cost apartment and aspires to be a dancer. She trains in a renowned dance studio through a scholarship.

For the musical, Operet Aku Anak Rusun teamed up with children from Rawa Bebek and Pulo Gebang low-cost apartments in East Jakarta and Daan Mogot in West Jakarta, respectively.

The sequel to Selendang Arimbi, which will air on July 25 and 26 at 3 p.m., will feature 150 children who reside in Rusunawa with the theme of empathy, creator Veronica Tan said in a virtual press conference on Monday.

Upon visiting several low-cost apartments during the preproduction process, Veronica said she realized the issues faced by the residents of the apartments were underrepresented.

“When I went to visit them, it seemed like everything was fine,” Veronica said. “But when I spoke to them, I found out that a lot of them were out of work and were living on what they have.”

Creators of the musical also wanted to highlight the importance of recognizing those who are affected by the pandemic.

“Most of us lost more than just being able to hang out with our friends,” said scriptwriter Vanda Parengkuan. “There are people who lost their jobs, are unable to pay rent and have to leave their homes.”

In addition to raising public awareness about the struggles faced by residents of low-cost apartments, the musical’s producer and artistic director Dovieke Angsana also wanted to provide a platform for the children to practice musical theater.

“We want to unleash the children’s musical potential,” said Angsana. “Many who auditioned didn’t even know what a musical is.”

In the continuation of Selendang Arimbi, the lead character sells shawls to pay for her sick mother’s medical expenses.

“Her neighbors are of different skin color and religions, and they work together to help Arimbi,” Veronica said.

Conductor Andre Lizt of musical production group Soundkestra said the pandemic had also affected the musical’s production.

“Some of us had set up studios in our home to make this happen,” he said.

Andre added that he included elements of K-Pop in the soundtrack to attract a wider audience.

Kompas TV will also be accepting donations for its humanitarian fund, which will go to residents of low-cost apartment, Kompas TV programming general manager Arief Prihantoro. (wng)

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The writer is an intern at The Jakarta Post.