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ozens of students from SD Palmerah 17 Pagi state elementary school in West Jakarta learned about the value and spending wisely through a theatrical performance by Teater Koma on Thursday.

The 20-minute show entitled 'Petualangan Agen Penny' (The Adventure of Agent Penny) managed to steal the hearts of around 70 young audience members with acting, songs and stunning costumes.

A small group of gleeful students continued to speak about the show after the play was over.

'One of the stories was about Agent Penny and Will Power. They helped Kori with her homework about banking. Kori's friend, Heri, didn't want to help her because he prioritized video games over homework,' Reynaldi told The Jakarta Post, without taking a breath.

Agent Penny was played by Angga Yasti, while Will Power was played by Rangga Riantiarno, the son of noted director and Teater Koma leader Nano Riantiarno.

Meanwhile, Kori was played by Patricia Panggupita, while Heri was played by Bayu Darmawan Saleh.

The fifth grader said it was the first time he watched a play. The show, he said, was as interesting as a pantomime performance he participated in at school. 'I like Agent Penny very much. I hope I can perform on stage like that one day. At school, I have learned about pantomime, speech and dance,' he said.

Another student, Tegar Dwi Nugroho, said he learned about interest rates from the show.

When asked about the meaning of interest rates, the talkative boy gave a clear definition as if he was answering a homework question.

'God willing, I will have my own bank account one day. I save some of my pocket money in a savings program at school,' he said, adding that he wanted to use his savings to buy uniforms for his junior high school.

Rachmat, a fifth grade teacher, said fourth and fifth grade students who watched the performance had been ecstatic since morning.

'Early in the morning, they swept and mopped the floors of their classrooms. They kept on asking what time the show would start,' he said.

'Up to 2013, Citi Indonesia has provided a budget worth US$765,000 for the Agent Penny Adventure program with YMII [Yayasan Mitra Mandiri Indonesia],' said Agung Laksmana, head of corporate affairs at Citibank Indonesia, which has sponsored the play for the past six years.

Rangga of Teater Koma says that under the cooperation with the bank, his troupe has staged around 350 performances at numerous elementary schools since 2007.

During the past six months alone, the troupe has presented 75 performances. He said the performances had provided positive alternative entertainment for the students.

'Children are spontaneous and very honest, so it is very interesting to see their reactions during our show. They may praise or boo us. It has been a good experience for us as actors,' he told the Post.