Indonesian theater is at present the
most interesting one in Asia, and the Mandiri Theater, lead
by Putu Wijaya and pursuing the spirit of the revived or insane
tradition, is the most exciting theater in whole Indonesia.
Putu builds on the principles of traditional Balinese shadow
theater - Wayan, the only difference being that, instead of
puppets, he uses living human beings and instead of candlelight
the power of spotlights and a screen large enough to cover
the whole stage space. In this way, Putu, assisted by music,
creates scenes and sights of spectacular visual beauty, charged
with powerful emotions.
Although on two opposite ends of the globe, Indonesia and
Serbia have been facing similar difficult challenges – to burry
the ghosts of the past and to find once again one’s own place
in the modern world. The WAR project, realized through cooperation
between Indonesian and Serbian artists, actually deals with
the consequences of bloody civil and interethnic wars that
marked the past decade in both countries.
This is the first presentation of the Mandiri Theater in
Europe.
|
