Martial art-acting in dictatorial Indonesia: Antigone (1974) and Lysistrata (1975) directed by W. S. Rendra

Abstract

W. S. Rendra, the most prominent director-pedagogue in Indonesian theatre of the dictatorial era, staged Sophocles’ Antigone in 1974 and Aristophanes’ Lysistrata a year later. Clear cases of political provocation against the authoritarian regime, these productions confirmed his Bengkel Teater (Workshop Theatre) as one of the most disruptive, prolific and admired ensembles of the years of socio-political turmoil. Although the Chinese community was undergoing significant discrimination at the time, Rendra connected with a specific Sino-Indonesian martial art, siauw lim pek ho pay, or Bangau Putih (White Crane) silat. Its founder, Suhu Subur Rahardja, was a vital reference point for Rendra’s personal development while Suhu’s martial art became a powerful tool for actor training and provided a crucial contribution for the Bengkel Teater. This article investigates the different forms which martial art-acting took in the work of Rendra’s group in training, performing, in its pedagogic approach and in its community outreach. The article provides some basics about Rendra, Indonesia’s historical, political and cultural contexts, as well as silat. It also collates press releases from 1974 to 1975 with interviews with Fajar Suharno, a senior Bengkel Teater performer. It concludes by pointing out some similarities between Rendra’s approach and that of other theatre director-pedagogues and educators of the last century.

Keywords:

• martial arts
• W. S. Rendra
• Bengkel Teater
• Antigone
• Lysistrata

Acknowledgments

My most profound appreciation goes to Pak Fajar Suharno. During the last decade, he has been generous, offering essential mentoring for both my training process in silat and my research on Indonesian theatre. The specific interviews further stretched his bounteousness and willingness to share. His effort to remember and note events and details of approximately 50 years ago are tremendously appreciated. My profound thanks to Tapa Sudana, whose approach, experience, and behaviour have enormously impacted me. He also introduced me to BP silat in the 1990s and opened up my views on theatre, dance, and martial arts connections. My gratitude to the PGB BP silat association, particularly to Guru Gunawan Rahardja, Pak Irwan Rahardja and all my fellow trainers. Attending the PGB, I could meet senior silat practitioners and the Bengkel Teater’s actors from 1967 to 1978. This boosted my understanding of Rendra’s work. Theodorus Setya Nugraha (Teddy), Rendra’s first son, was generous in sharing many aspects of his father’s personal and public life with me. That stretched my comprehension of Rendra’s work. To the beloved Phillip B. Zarrilli, my gratitude for his friendship and support during the previous stages of this research. Thanks to Cathirose Petrone for her fruitful support of editing. Finally, thanks to Paul Allain and Grzegorz Ziółkowski for their continuous and precious help throughout the preparation of this article.

Notes

1 The USA backed Suharto’s 1965–1966 mass killing of one to two million Indonesians (Bevins 2017). On this subject, see the remarkable documentary The Act of Killing (2012), directed by Joshua Oppenheimer, Christine Cynn and an anonymous Indonesian. There is extensive literature on this and Oppenheimer’s later film The Look of Silence (2014).

2 Late in the 1990s, the current PGB leader, Guru Gunawan Rahardja, restored traditional Chinese ceremonies and the Kie Lin barong, a mystical animal with its own martial dance.

3 The JAC also set up the Academy of Jakarta, modelled after the Académie Française, to select subsequent JAC members, including senior artists, experts and scholars from Indonesia. Their membership was set for life to ensure JAC’s political independence.

4 A Suharto military squad threw ammonia bombs on stage during Rendra’s reading and interrupted his performance. Rendra’s arrest was reported in all of the national news and rapidly reverberated throughout Indonesia and beyond.

5 Fragments of the interviews and excerpts from the Indonesian press are provided in the author’s translation.

6 It is interesting to note that ‘At that time, Max served as a pastor before becoming a priest, teaching at De Britto, Yogyakarta’ (Suharno 2021, 10 August). (On the prominent school of SMA Kolese De Britto, see: https://debritto.sch.id/. Accessed 15 February 2022). However, Palaar’s devotion to Suhu and passionate dedication to silat affected and changed his plans. Increasingly involved with the PGB, he became an outstanding BP silat master and a close assistant of Suhu. He also married and had three children.

7 BP silat has strong influences from Shaolin kung fu and features animal styles such as Crane, Tiger, Dragon, Snake and others.

8 Bedoyo (also written as bedhaya or beḍaya) is a sacred dance of Java and its types relate to the royal palaces of Surakarta (bedoyo ketawang) and Yogyakarta (bedoyo semang). Along with another dance called serimpi, bedoyo features the movement quality of halus (soft, smooth), reflecting the royal court’s elegance.

9 A performance genre from Central Java.

10 Goenawan Mohamad (b. 1941) is an Indonesian poet, playwright, art critic, essayist, editor, and one of the most prominent voices in the 1970s on Rendra’s work. He founded and edited Tempo, an essential Indonesian magazine, periodically shut down due to its criticisms of the government.

11 Regarding analogous needs, some Western actors have trained in fencing (Wolf 2009).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Marco Adda

Marco Adda is an independent researcher, actor trainer, director, and actor with a core focus on bodymind, movement, actor’s dramaturgy and martial arts in actor training and composition. With Neapolitan origins, he has explored and studied Asian traditions since a young age. He is a member of the PGB and an instructor of Bangau Putih silat. From 1994, he worked as a professional in theatre, cinema, actor pedagogy and social theatre. Since 2009, he has travelled and collaborated globally with universities, academies and other organisations. Other areas of his interest include: anthrozoology, ethology, psychophysiology, neuroscience, and integrative health.