Mwathirika on NY Social Status

http://nysocialstatus.com/2012/10/10/mwathirika-not-your-average-puppet-show/

MWATHIRIKA: NOT YOUR AVERAGE PUPPET SHOW

October 10, 2012 by missbananainthecity

General consensus is that puppet shows are aimed toward children, for various reasons. Sometimes to entertain, sometimes to teach, sometimes to just hold attention long enough for parents to breath. As far as Papermoon Puppet Theatre is concerned, general consensus has it all wrong.

Photo credit to Shanna Gibbs

A featured guest of the Asia Society as part of Center Stage, Papermoon Puppet Theatre performed at the Upper East Side museum last week and demonstrated that kid-only puppet shows are a thing of the past.

Papermoon’s sophisticated puppet show, Mwathirika, brings to life a story of mass murder and widespread loss through the near-silent tales of two families in Indonesia in 1965. Derived from personal experience with the attempted coup against Indonesian presidentSukarno, Mwathirika depicts the turn of events two families experience during the retaliation brought on by this attempt.

Though the show is set in Indonesia, Mwathrikia is the Swahili word for “victim.” According to the Asia Society, Papermoon chose this title for their story in order to combat the notion that political devastation is endemic and remind us that it can affect a variety of areas and demographics. With an aim to focus on the emotional aspects of the gruesome events surrounding the attempted coup, Papermoon effectively reminds viewers that human beings, often innocent, are the casualties of political discord.

In addition to the powerful message behind this production, a plethora of other artistic characteristics demand respect and appreciation. Though the ultimate message is relatively simple to grasp, the small intricacies of the show are what set it apart from the average hidden-lesson puppet event. Maria Tri Sulistyani and Iwan Effendi, artistic directors for Papermoon, have utilized various subtle details to add layers to and evoke emotion with their creation. The most notable of these is the use of whistles among the members of the primary family in the story. Throughout the show, the children in the family use red whistles to call for help from each other. What in the beginning appears to be a mere character quirk proves to be one of the most significant, defining symbols of the entire play.

Perhaps one of the most amazing aspects of Mwathirika is the skill and finesse on the part of each puppeteer. For most Americans, the term “puppet show” conjures up the memory of hand puppets set in a small stage lacking any real props or three-dimensional scenery. This is not the way Papermoon Puppet Theatre operates. Each puppet throughout the show is handled by its own puppeteer, all clearly well-trained and thoroughly practiced in the art of becoming one with their puppets. Though initial focus may be drawn to the workings of the puppets, from the composition of their limbs to the tiny hooks below their feet to facilitate movement, it takes the Papermoon crew a minimal amount of time to obliterate all concern for these details and command attention to the lively characters and their plight. Papermoon’s puppeteers need no words and minimal sound to communicate the emotions of their characters, and with an exemplary musical accompaniment and the intensity of the storyline itself, this is almost enough to make a grown woman cry.

Photo credit to Shanna Gibbs

As a twenty-six-year-old New Yorker, a puppet show isn’t always the most appealing choice for the night’s events, but in the case of Papermoon Puppet Theatre’s Mwathirika, it was the best. Sure to invoke thoughts deeper than what to mix with vodka for the night and certain to awaken the history nerd in all of us, Mwathirika is a cultural statement not to be underestimated and in this day and age, a message not to be left unheard.

MWATHIRIKA : on the stages of USA

We were performing in 5 province, 7 different towns and cities in USA..
and here are the photos of our performance in Bandung, just before we flew to USA...

...hope you enjoy the moments, dear...

MWATHIRIKA is ..dedicated to the whole universe..

while those people were celebrating the things that they thought was right.

with a big excitement , no matter what..

while the little boy was having his own time.

and a mean dog didn't mean a mean thing..

it's about how to take care each other..

..about loving each other..

..about a big brother with his little brother...

about a freedom of celebrating their life..

about a mini circus that always happens in everyone's life.

about the happy father who wants to give the best..

to his little daughter.

about a sign that could change someone's life..

...while all began, in the darkness.

the other people just do their job,

because it's a command.

when the effect is not only a little thing...

and they just try to survive.

feel cold and sad.

they were only the two of millions that has the same feeling

but it's not an end yet..

while being alone.. is the only thing that he had

and in the end of the day..

 we'll see... 

the time that they never could say goodbye.

****

text by Maria Tri Sulistyani ( Ria)

  photos were captured by Sondhiar and Arul.

How we packed all the sets of MWATHIRIKA

Traveling by bringing all the sets, puppets and properties for MWATHIRIKA was not that simple for the first time for all of us.
Doing the very first time tour abroad with MWATHIRIKA, was such a challenge.

So, we did lots of changes of the sets, but still thinking how to keep the artistic sense on it.
On the first version of sets that we produced on 2010, we use lots of woods.

and now we change it.
We are using Fabric instead of the heavy woods.
and all the sets are knocked-down-construction.

this is the mock-up of the stage.

we need to send the photos of the mock up to show the measurement of the set.

we choose to make the handmade one, and not the digital one.

i hope it helps.. ;P

and this is the sketch..

and these are the knocked down construction of the sets.

on the first show of MATHIRIKA, we build every sets from woods.

and now we change them into aluminium bars and fabrics.. ;)

 all knocked down!! :D

  

And guess what?!!
IT WORKS!

Traveling with 8 people by bringing 10 suitcases in total !
We don't need to ship ANYTHING!!

and yes, we are ready to travel and spread the words of MWATHIRIKA... :)

Mwathirika.. di Roemah Kajoemanis....

http://cinnamome37.blogspot.com/2012/06/mwathirika.html

SENIN, 18 JUNI 2012

mwathirika.

"Ketika para wakil rakyat berusaha "membela" kepentingan bangsanya, siapakah korbannya?

Ketika para tentara berupaya menumpas kejahatan, siapakah korbannya?

Dan ketika kita hanya akan mencari jalan aman, siapakah korbannya?

Anak, kakak, adik, kekasih, orang tua, tetangga, sahabat, mereka, yang tak bersalah"

...

Banyak sekali hiburan, tapi hanya sebagian kecil saja hiburan yang cerdas, dan salah satu hiburan yang cerdas adalah menonton pertunjukan "Mwathirika" dari Papermoon Puppet Theatre, Jogjakarta. Setelah berharap dan menunggu sekian lama, akhirnya Papermoon manggung di Bandung, yipiiee!! Alhamdulillaah, akhirnya tercapai juga! :D

Untuk yang belum berkenalan, Papermoon Puppet Theatre adalah teater boneka yang dilahirkan dari seorang mbak manis : Maria Tri Sulistyani. Ia adalah seorang ilustrator dan penulis, juga mantan aktris teater realis. *pantesan, teater ciptaannya ini hiduuup sekali!*. Papermoon ini juga dibesarkan dengan Mas Iwan Effendi, seorang perupa yang suka bercerita. Karya-karyanya keren-keren, lho! Saya jatuh cinta pada karya-karyanya! :). Dulu mereka membuat pementasan teater boneka untuk anak-anak di kampung. Tapi sekarang Papermoon telah 'menetapkan hati' melakukan ekspreimen seni dengan menggunakan media teater boneka yang dapat dinikmati khalayak luas.

Saya datang jauh sebelum pementasan supaya bisa nonton di bagian paling depan! Ternyata mereka menyediakan satu bagian khusus supaya penonton bisa lesehan. Pertunjukan dibuka oleh Mbak Ria dengan hangat, sebagaimana kita bertamu ke sebuah rumah. Lalu kita diminta untuk 'menyamankan' duduk supaya dapat menikmati suguhannya! Selama 55 menit berikutnya saya berenang dan tenggelam dalam ceritanya.

Ceritanya sendiri berlatar penggalan sejarah besar Indonesia di puluhan tahun lalu ketika banyak keluarga yang merasa kehilangan. Biasanya kisah ini banyak ditutup-tutupi, dianggap tabu, takut untuk dibahas, tapi Papermoon Puppet Theatre mengajak kita untuk mengingat, mempelajari, dan merasakannya melalui sebuah dongeng bersama para boneka! Para penonton ditenggelamkan begitu dekat dengan kehidupan dua orang anak, Tupu dan Moyo, kakak beradik yang dibesarkan oleh Baba, pria pekerja keras bertangan satu. Detail ceritanya, silakan tonton sendiri, yaa! :D

Setiap boneka hidup walaupun terkadang yang memainkannya berganti-ganti. Pemain boneka yang terlihat sosoknya sama sekali tidak menggangu pertunjukkan secara visual, malahan memperkuat penokohannya. Racikan visual dan audio yang sangat menyatu membuat kita lupa bahwa semuanya 'hanyalah' panggung boneka.

Jujur, saya tidak dapat bercerita banyak karena saya hanya terpaku selama 55 menit ditambah beberapa saat setelahnya, dan saya tidak berhasil menceritakan rasanya dalam kata-kata *speechless*. Papermoon ini harus ditonton langsung sodara-sodara! Kenapa? Pertunjukkan "Mwathirika" ini berhasil menyatukan emosi tidak hanya dari para pemainnya saja, tapi juga merangkul emosi-emosi dan menyalurkan energinya untuk para penonton! Ikut tertawa, ikut nyesek, ikut nangis, ikut cemas, dan ikut yang lain. Cocok dengan yang mereka tuliskan di bookletnya, "..kesempatan untuk sama-sama mengingat, dan kesempatan untuk membagi rasa." Saya sangat percaya, karena begitu besar energi sang pemain tercurah, boneka-boneka Papermoon ini menyimpan berjuta energi yang satu saat dapat menceritakan 'detak jantung'nya kepada siapapun yang melihat atau memegangnya.

Untuk saya, Papermoon Puppet Theatre adalah sebuah bahasa cerdas dalam mendongeng. Tidak banyak kata, namun imajinatif, kaya rasa. Walaupun namanya teater boneka, tetapi mereka tidak hanya  menghidupkan boneka ke dalam sebuah cerita. Tapi mereka mengemas pemain, boneka, simbol-simbol melalui properti dan artistik panggung, tata suara, tata cahaya, proyeksi visual menjadi satu dunia maya yang menghanyutkan penonton pada keseluruhan emosi!


J E N I U S ! ! 


Sang peramu bahasa (baca: sutradara) Mbak Ria, mampu memilah dengan tepat pengemasan bagian-bagian cerita. Keseluruhan detail terpikirkan masak-masak. Thoughtful! Timingnya setiap adegannya tepat, tidak terlalu lama tidak terlalu cepat. Dan memang benar apa yang mereka sampaikan, walaupun mengangkat tema cerita yang 'tidak mudah' tapi para penonton mudah mencerna kisah dan rasanya. Angkat topi juga untuk desainer artistik,  Mas Iwan, yang sukses untuk 'nyemplungin' penonton pada dunia panggung yang ciamik!


Salut untuk seluruh pemain, pendukung, dan tentunya konseptornya!

Sebenarnya saya juga masih sangat ingin menonton "Secangkir Kopi dari Playa", karena sudah terisak hanya dengan menonton dari DVDnya saja *gembeng!*. Tapi sekarang baru bisa berdoa semoga dipentaskan kembali.. *amiin, beribu-ribu amiin*

Oke, sekian cerita kesan pesan "Mwathirika"nya.. Oya, "Mwathirika" ini akan dipertunjukkan juga di Amerika pada bulan September mendatang. Semoga sukses di sana, ya teman-temaaan!

Mwathirika untuk kesekian kalinya bagi Suryo Hapsoro...

http://diefolgerung.blogspot.com/2012/06/rasanya-masih-sama.html

Rabu, 20 Juni 2012

  Rasanya Masih Sama

Printed Artwork by Iwan Effendi. 

  

Mungkin lebih dari lima kali saya menyaksikan pertunjukan ini, dan sudah puluhan kali melihat proses latihannya. Mulai dari Tupu, Moyo, Baba, Haki, dan Lacuna belum “lahir” sampai mereka tumbuh dan berubah penampilannya. Mulai dari Tupu yang dilihat sebagai anak perempuan, sampai Tupu yang sudah bisa pipis berdiri. Mulai dari suara asli kotak musik Lacuna dipakai untuk latihan pertama kali sampai menjadi lagu yang selalu terngiang di setiap pentas dengan diiringi dengan tarikan nafas sesenggukan penontonnya.

Masih selalu sama rasanya melihat adegan-adegan itu. Iba luar biasa. Rasanya ingin sekali melihat Tupu tertawa lebih banyak, rasanya ingin sekali membantu Moyo mencari Babanya, dan masih saja selalu kecewa karena tidak bisa mengingatkan Lacuna supaya tidak bermain-main dengan peluit milik Tupu itu.

Mwathirika memang seperti benar-benar nyata, benar-benar ada dunia lain yang penghuninya adalah keluarga Baba, dan Haki yang bertetangga, anjing lincah yang taringnya sangat besar, badut yang tampak ramah tapi menyimpan kepentingan politis yang besar. Semuanya benar nyata telah dihidupkan di mana pun mereka dipentaskan.

Rasanya tidak bisa mengatakan, “padahal mereka hanya boneka.” Ya, mereka memang boneka, tapi tidak menjadi sekadar “hanya”. Rasa kagum masih selalu ada ketika semua pemainnya berhasil menghembuskan nafasnya untuk menghidupkan gerak para boneka. Tidak heran kalau US Department dan Center Stage memilih Papermoon dengan Mwathirika-nya untuk dipentaskan di Amerika Serikat. Mereka tidak akan pernah menyesal jika harus menghabiskan banyak dana untuk mendatangkan Geng Papermoon ini.

Pentas di Bandung kali ini membuat saya menjadi semakin tidak bisa bicara terlalu banyak. Dengan material baru dan kematangan karakter yang semakin baik tidak ada rasa bosan dalam diri saya sampai sekarang saya selalu menjadi penonton dalam pentas ini. Dan ketika rasa yang sama masih selalu timbul ketika melihat tontonan yang selalu sama itu adalah luar biasa.

Perjalanan menghidupkan dunia Mwathirika ke benua seberang semakin dekat, masih banyak yang direncanakan sebelum benar berangkat ke sana. Semoga rasa yang muncul masih akan selalu sama dirasakan oleh semuanya. Semoga juga pesan yang ingin disampaikan Tupu, Moyo, Baba, Haki, dan Lacuna lewat kisah hidup mereka diterima dengan baik juga oleh semuanya. Terimakasih Mwathirika!

One Writing about MWATHIRIKA.. in Jakarta

http://myoohsandahs.blogspot.com/2011/01/mwathirika-lost-history-and-loss-of.html

Mwathirika, a Lost History and The Loss of History

The perfect movement between the puppet and the puppet master, stage properties, lighting, and music ilustration was the only languange that being used to tell the story. A beautiful play, without a word being said. A little piece of history, 5 puppets to share the story.

 

Baba, a hard working man who has only one hand. He has two sons, Moyo and Tupu.Haki, is his neighbour. He has a daughter, Lacuna, a little girl who's using a wheelchair. No mother figure for the three of them, but their father always giving their best. They live "side by side" in their peaceful world.

Until one night, when someone puts a red triangle mark on Baba's house. That mark considered as "dangerous" at that time. Haki keeps his distance from Baba. Lacuna is not allowed to play with Moyo and Tupu. The red triangle mark changes their life.

 

The troops arrest Baba. He has one last wish before the troops take him, he wants to fix Tupu's toy first. Then, they can take him. The scene where Baba gives Tupu's toy that already being fixed, and then kisses them goodbye, that was really heartfelt. :'(

In loss and confuse, Moyo and Tupu keep waiting for their father. Keep on hoping that their father will come. But he'll never come. One day, Moyo follows a troops member. He wants to give something to Baba. The troops member notices that Moyo has a red whistle. A whistle that being used by Moyo and Tupu to call each other. If Tupu needs Moyo, he blows the whistle and Moyo will come to his little brother. What they don't know is, that red whistle is just as "dangerous" as the red triangle mark. Moyo never return ever since.

Now, Tupu is all by himself. No father, nor big brother who'll always be there to protect him. People walk right pass through him, like he doesn't even exist. He keeps on blowing his red whistle, hoping that Moyo or Baba can hear the sound of his fear and pain. The sound of his whistle becomes softer and softer, fades out and ends in silent as the light goes out. In the dark, Tupu bows his head and rest in the gentle embrace of his puppet master.


"For us, this is not about who killed who. This is about a lost history (and the loss of history) in our lives. Shouldn't it be so, that if we know what has happened in the past, then we can understand why we stand here now, and where we want to go in the years to come?", wrote the creators of the play, Maria Tri Sulistiyani, the daughter of a former Lieutenant Colonel of Indonesian Air Force, and Iwan Effendi, a grandson of dalang (wayang puppet master) who was a political prisoner for 13 years. Mwathirika, aSwahili word that means victim, is just one of the languages being used, to tell the history they grew up with.


This is my first experience in watching Papermoon Puppet Theatre. And I know for sure, it won't be the last. I'm waiting for the next show, dear puppet master. Thank youGoethe Institut for making Mwathirika as part of Indonesia dan Dunia pada 1965's event. Kudos for Mwathirika!