June/July, 1998
No. 035/VI/98
cover story
What future is there for
Bali's modern theatre
scene?
Warung Society
Bali has its own history of
communal philosophising
and coffee-drinking
Renaissance
Twenty years of Bali's
Festival of the Arts
beyond
bali
Sumbawa's
Secrets
Photographs from
Kuang Amo
regular
features
Dangerous
Times
Orchestrating a
cremation in Ubud
Home Grown
A preview of
the Quicksilver Pro
Adventure
Getting over a fear
of diving
Health and Beauty
Foreign aid for
optic
health
Books
The Painted Alphabet
reviewed
Food
Two boutique hotels,
two top chefs
Fiction
'Our Moon'
by Mas Ruscitadewi
advertising index for
Bali Echo web site
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WORK ETHIC
“Most people here think of theatre as a kind of hobby, as something to do in your spare time,” says Kadek Suardana, one of the founders of Sanggar Putih. “As far as I know, as yet no-one here has been prepared to take on theatre as a profession.” As if concerned that he has been too harsh, Suardana hastens to concede that Bali has some very talented actors, playwrights and directors. “Unfornately though, they are all too thin on the ground,” laments the animated actor and director.
In response to Suardana, Goes Martin and Mas Ruscita Dewi, also of
Sanggar Putih and now both journalists with the local daily Bali Post, say that
professionalism has never really been given a chance to develop within the theatre scene.
“People tend to have other interests, naturally. How can people be expected to be
professional if they have other interests to pursue?” poses Mas, before Goes Martin
adds: “Theatre cannot ensure people’s livelihood. It can only be expected that
people turn to other better-paid jobs so that they can eat.”
COMMUNITY
Others quote low community spirit as the main problem in Bali’s modern theatre scene. According to playwright and novelist Abu Bakar: “In the heyday of modern theatre in the eighties, the theatre community was strong and close-knit. There was very little individualsim. It is this sense of community, perhaps, that has been lost.”
Like Bakar, Suardana also suspects that individualism is responsible
for modern theatre’s current state of decline. “Lately, theatre people seem to
have lost their sense of community. Individual people are beginning to seek exposure by
promoting themselves rather than their troupe or the community of troupes in Bali. The
trend in now for certain individuals to develop troupes as their own little
kingdoms,” he accuses.
CONTEXTUALITY
This “exclusivism”, as Suardana calls it has also influenced the nature and quality of works that are being produced and performed. “Many people nowadays only perform to satisfy themselves and their own little clique. The result is that their works are not contextual and have little to do with prevailing social conditions. How can people be expected to come and watch if they can’t follow the story? This kind of self-satisfied, elitist works we’re are seeing being performed today are mere artistic masturbation. To draw a big audience, shows need to be communicative,” says Suardana.
Mas Ruscita Dewi agrees. She is critical of many modern theatre performances which “only confuse people. This is what makes modern theatre unpopular - the fact that people are being expected to endure performances that they don’t understand,” asserts the editor of Bali Post’s literary pages.
Abu Bakar, however, has a different opinion on tha matter. According to him: “You can’t just judge the quality of a performance from the number of bums on seats. If you follow that logic, then the drama gong (a popular Balinese comic satire) would be the best quality of all, because perfomances of drama gong are always packed,” says the founder of Teater Poliklinik, one of the island’s oldest troupes. “I would rather five or ten people who really understand my works to attend a performance than hundreds who don’t have a clue what’s going on.”
Above:
1. One of Sanggar Posti performances at the Art Centre.
2. Teater Gugat Swastiastu is one of the few modern theatre troupes in the
northern city of Singaraja which still exists. They staged this show at the Art Centre in
March 1998.
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