Theater can be an escape from the current ills plaguing the world, and Teater Koma does just that with an intergalactic romance between a human scientist and his three alien inamoratas in Cinta Semesta, beaming into your homes virtually on Dec. 12-13 (with ticket purchases, of course).
f pronouncing “Ssumphphwttsspasbazaliapahssttphph” might be impossible for humans, the sign language Teater Koma has invented is a more practical way to address the alien heroine from the planet Ssumvitphphpah in Cinta Semesta, the renowned troupe’s finale production for the 2020 season.
Set to be streamed on Dec. 12 and 13 on LoketLive and Go-Play, the play’s title roughly translates into “universal love” and is the final play in the Gemintang trilogy, about an Earthling and the unpronounceably named alien above locked in an intergalactic battle, whose relationship later blossoms into romance.
Written by Teater Koma playwright and patron Norbertus “Nano” Riantiarno, the sequel to 2018’s Galaksi (Galaxy), which is yet to be produced in digital format.
The futuristic play has translated well into digital format, as was evident in the rehearsal streamed on Thursday using visual effects and video mapping – the latter projecting video onto a flat screen or background.
The 99-minute direct-to-video play was shot from multiple angles on the stage of the Gedung Kesenian Jakarta arts center. The videos were then cut together to look like a single take, so virtual theatergoers can watch the play straight through without any intermissions or interruptions.
“We used at least 11 cameras to expose every angle. We don’t want it to look like a recorded stage performance,” director Idries Pulungan said at a virtual press conference on Thursday.
Cinta Semesta is to be the last digital production for 2020, a tumultuous year that has seen the seminal theater troupe go creatively digital during the pandemic with the release of short plays and music videos of its songs on YouTube. It also took part in #NontonTeaterdiRumahAja, a weekly theatrical program streamed on YouTube by the Bakti Budaya Djarum Foundation.
“The play is more of an experiment, as we are exploring the digital format for our performances,” said Cinta Semesta coproducer Rasapta Candrika.
In order to keep to the health protocols, the play involved only five actors and a singer-narrator to introduce the opening and closing acts.
Cinta Semesta opens with scientists Arjuna (Rangga Riantiarno) and Chan Lan Nio at an observatory in Lembang, West Java, as they prepare to welcome the galactic ruler Sri Ratu Saspikaratumakasih from Planet Pispakanakasssuah and her right-hand man, Ababakababa.
The meeting leads to a dilemma, as Arjuna has to make up his mind about which of his three flames he will marry.
While the storyline might sound banal, Cinta Semesta is a social satire of classical Teater Koma tradition that leaves viewers with a message to think about, long after the curtains close on the play – and the year. (ste)
– Tickets are available for Rp 75,000 (US$5.35) at teaterkoma.org and go-tix.id. Contact 082122777709 for more information.
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