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For nearly four decades, the annual Festival Teater Jakarta has had a critical influence on the capital’s performing arts. As it returns for its 39th incarnation, the festival has prepared a variety of top-notch performances and activities for theater fans. 

Festival Teater Jakarta was the first conceived in 1973 by movie director Wahyu Sihombing, well-known for his television series Losmen in the 1980s, after he won support for the festival from then-Governor Ali Sadikin and the Jakarta Arts Council.

With performances from 14 theater groups, this year’s festival promises to satisfy almost any theater fan’s tastes, according to Dewi Noviami, the chairman of the Council. The selected groups beat 42 others in the elimination stage, held during July and August.

To accommodate as big an audience as possible, the Council has decided to stage the performances at several venues.

“This year, the festival will not only be conducted at our headquarters at Taman Ismail Marzuki,” Dewi said of the event that runs until Dec 14. “We will also hold performances at venues in the five municipalities of Jakarta.” 

The other venues include Salihara, Gedung Kesenian Miss Tjitjih, Gedung Kesenian Jakarta, South Jakarta Gelanggang Remaja and West Jakarta Gelanggang Jakarta.

This year, the council chose the theme “Membaca Aku, Membaca Laku” (“Reading Myself, Reading My Inner Self”) to highlight the process of self-realization and understanding one’s outlook in life.

“When you have a good attitude and understand yourself, you will ultimately perform better on stage,” event organizers said in a press release.

Both aku (I) and laku (one’s inner self) should be perceived from beyond a theatrical perspective, event organizers said. These elements are central to everyone’s daily lives, making the theme applicable to any person, not only performers. Theater will survive as a form of entertainment for all of society, they said. 

Stage Corner Community, a Jakarta-based theater club established in 2006, will perform at the first major event tonight. This year Stage Corner won the an arts grant from Kelola, organization, which promotes arts and culture. In the festival, the group will perform their play “Techno Ken Dedes,” directed by Dadang Badoet.

Set in the era of traditional Javanese kingdoms, the play tells the story of a beautiful princess, Ken Dedes. The play, however, will also explore issues that more directly related to modern life. 

On Thursday, Teater Sketsa will perform “Malam Jahanam” (“The Evil Night”), written by Motinggo Boesje and Ujang G.B., at Gedung Kesenian Miss Tjitjih in Cempaka Putih, Central Jakarta.

Then on Saturday, Teater Anam will present a play, “Roman,” which was written and directed by Herman A. Rasyid, at Teater Luwes at the Jakarta Art Institute. 

Malhamang Zamzam, the festival chairman, said that this year’s festival would feature five original scripts, each written by a different theater community.

This, he hopes, will encourage more artists to try their hand at producing original scripts themselves.

In addition to stage performances, the festival will feature drama script seminars, movie documentary screenings and discussions on literature and other topics, making this year’s celebration more multifaceted than that of previous years.

Some well-known figures including movie director Riri Reza and writer and journalist Goenawan Mohammad will also take part in the festival, Malhamang said.

Two books will be launched at the event: Fandy Hutari’s “Hiburan Masa Lalu dan Tradisi Lokal” (“Entertainment of the Past and Local Traditions”) and Nano Riantiarno’s “Kita Teater” (“Theater Holy Book”).

“This year’s Festival Teater Jakarta is not only a competition, but also a real festival with a lot of unique programs,” Malhamang said. “These programs are not only targeted toward theater enthusiasts, but also toward people who want to know more about theater and Jakarta’s art venues.” 

For more information, visit dkj.or.id or telephone 021 3193 7639