Shadows and Imagoes: Hybridizing Macbeth for the Postcolonial Contemporary Indonesian Stage (original) (raw)
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Theatre Research International, 2019
Doomsayers and traditionalists prognosticate that the dominance of digital media spells the end of traditional arts in Java, Indonesia. Wayang kulit (shadow puppet theatre), while still highly regarded as theatrical heritage, is said to be under particular threat due to the long duration of its plays, complexity of language and the need for prior knowledge of characters and situations. Such features are at odds with the short attention spans and need for instant comprehension and gratification of Gen Z – the youth referred to in Indonesian media as inhabiting jaman now (literally the ‘era of now’). While digital social media, including Facebook and YouTube, definitely offer up alternative forms of entertainment and amusement, they are also being used by traditional puppet practitioners to reinforce and expand communities of practice. Facebook provides platforms for comparative discussion and critical debate, while YouTube potentiates the inclusion of a geographically dispersed audie...
ISVS e-journal, Vol. 10, Issue 11, 2023
Wayang is a dynamic intangible cultural heritage that evolves with the times. The problem facing wayang performances today is the declining quality of the performing arts. The role of the puppeteer becomes immensely significant as a moral agent in society. This research analyzes the creativity and innovation of puppeteers as moral agents in the contemporary Indonesian society. The research employed a qualitative approach, using the phenomenological paradigm. Data were obtained through in-depth interviews with puppeteers involved in polemics over the declining quality of Wayang performing arts. Subsequently, Jürgen Habermas's theory of communicative action is employed to analyze these moral and cultural polemics. The results reveal the existence of two competing groups of puppeteers concerning the creativity and innovation of puppeteers as moral agents in contemporary Indonesian society. On the one hand, some puppeteers emphasize the aspect of tontonan (entertainment). On the other, some puppeteers emphasize the aspect of tuntunan (moral teaching). Puppeteers who prioritize the tontonan aspect attract a larger fan-base but often result in a decline in the quality of performing arts. Meanwhile, puppeteers who focus on the tuntunan aspect can preserve the traditional values of wayang. However, their performances often fail to captivate the audience. Each group of puppeteers staunchly defends its own opinions and beliefs.
Inheriting the Values of Mask Puppet Dance-Drama in Malang, Indonesia
Proceedings of the International Conference on Art and Arts Education (ICAAE 2018), 2019
Mask Puppet in Malang is a mask puppet show that describes some characters in Panji story from Java Island. Just a few of youth generations understand, this case threats the existence. This work aimed to study the inheritance of the values of Mask Puppet Dance-Drama in Malang, Indonesia. This research was based on the Semiotics theory that is the basic concept analyzed and interpreted by understanding the signs syntactically and semantically. This study used qualitative research method. The results of data analysis showed that the inheritance of the values of Mask Puppet Dance-Drama can be viewed from the characters in the story namely Raden Gunungsari, Dewi Sekartaji, and Prabu Klana Sewandana. Syntactically (visually), the three characters have a different form of mask and dance. The inheritance of the values of Mask Puppet Dance-Drama characters can syntactically and semantically raise the aesthetical and moral awareness to the traditional culture. Keywords— Mask Puppet Dance-Dra...
VOICING IDENTITIES IN THE ANCIENT GREEK THEATRE AND THE BALINESE SHADOW PUPPET PLAY
I will discuss the main strategies used by the “invisible” actors to voice the identities of the characters in ancient Greek theatre, and in Wayang Kulit, Balinese shadow puppet theatre. Of course, these two traditions are very different. A Greek actor, covered by a costume and a mask, acted directly in front of the audience and moved his whole body while voicing the character. Balinese puppet master has to act from behind the screen and he moves only his hands. The Greek actor gave voice to one mask at a time; the Balinese puppeteer produces voices of each of the many charac- ters in the play. But there is something the Greeks and the Balinese may have in common: in both performative tradi- tions voice seems to be separated from the physical person. I will argue that it is this separation that enhances and prob- lematizes the construction of gender as well as stimulates the audience to emotionally participate in the performance.
Islamic Elements in Traditional Indonesian and Malay Theatre
2010
From the earliest times, traditional theatre in Southeast Asia has been shaped by a wide range of religious and cultural influences—those deriving from animism, Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, as well as from Chinese and western traditions. The overwhelming influences, especially of Hinduism, have had the tendency to obscure contributions from the Middle- and Near-East. The view that Islam, with rare exceptions, prohibits performing arts has resulted in a negligence of these arts forms in Muslim societies with the possible exception of Indonesia. This paper highlights significant elements of Islamic culture that have shaped Indonesian and Malay traditional theatre through the adaptation of borrowed genres such as taziya, as well as locally created styles of shadow play (wayang kulit) and the doll-puppet theatre (wayang golek); the use of important themes from Islamic literature, in particular those derived from Hikayat Amir Hamza; as well as esoteric interpretations of certain episodes o...
From sacred ritual to theatrical protest: interdisciplinary spectrum of theater studies in Indonesia
This paper approaches the spectrum of theater studies in Indonesia in an interdisciplinary manner, encompassing both descriptive and normative perspectives. From a descriptive standpoint, the spectrum is shaped by various ways of attributing meaning to theater as an entity. In a normative approach, various disciplines offer perspectives that contribute to creating a spectrum of meaning for theater in relation to the life of Indonesian society. Through a literature review, the research identifies at least three approaches to constructing theater studies in Indonesia: synchronic, diachronic and, combined. These three approaches are drawn from disciplines outside of theater, such as historical, anthropological, and sociological studies. Based on this perspectives, theater studies in Indonesia has moved from viewing theater in its meaning as a form of sacred ritual in the past to theater as symbolic capital today. These interdisciplinary perspective has an influence on the meaning of theater in theater studies itself as a discipline. Theater in Indonesia as a subject of study, therefore, is not only understood as an art that originates from dramatic works, but is more broadly understood as all forms of art that are centered on human action displayed in live performances, including sacred rituals, cultural performances, and theatrical protests.
The GLOCAL CALA 2020, Proceedings, 2020
Puppet theater on the island of Java is an ancient art which has maintained some of its characteristics considered traditional, but has also been transforming innovations such as the wayang with hip-hop music among other popular expressions. The art of puppetry has also been institutionalized and is itself a degree program at the National Institute of Arts of Indonesia. In this paper, I show the outcomes of my research among students and shadow puppet art teachers in Java, Indonesia. There are two special characteristics in training puppeteers: The main use of Jawanese language and the development of communities of practice as ways of working in the teaching and learning process. As such, these contexts motivate students to be constantly reflecting on the Javanese language and culture. I note the process and the reflections of the participants on the Javanese language shift, and the uses of language in puppet performances which consider the reception of young Javanese. To analyze the data, I draw from fieldwork and interviews, I use the theoretical concepts of discursive genres and dialogism proposed by Bakhtin and I propose that the art of puppetry is a social field that encourages vitality and linguistic diversity on the island of Java.
Intercultural Theatre and Community in Southeast Asia: The ASEAN Puppet Exchange in Jakarta
Asian Theatre Journal
The Association for Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is working towards creating a dynamic economic, political, and sociocultural community. As ASEAN works towards realizing the goals of creating a regional community, many cultural organizations are sponsoring artist exchanges, bolstering university arts' departments, and opening new facilities. This paper analyzes Water of ASEAN, performed in 2015 as part of the ASEAN Day celebration in Jakarta, Indonesia, as part of this effort. The performance combined puppets and artists from all ten ASEAN countries and offers an example of intercultural performance applying the principles of community to perform regional identity. Story, form, character, and style intermix within one performance to demonstrate the relationships between tradition and modernity, unity and diversity, and cities and villages.