The members of Ngesti Pandowo are hoping that their live performance in early January would be an occasion to revive wayang orang from the adverse impacts of the pandemic. Hopefully.
By
KRISTI DWI UTAMI, GREGORIUS MAGNUS FINESSO
·4 minutes read
Kompas/P Raditya Mahendra Yasa
Anoman in the play Semar Boyong which was staged in the inaugural performance of WO Ngesti Pandowo, Saturday (8/1/2022) at the Ki Narto Sabdo Building, Raden Saleh Cultural Park, Semarang City, Central Java.
To preserve and keep this performing art alive has been the decades-long calling of members of Semarang-based wayang orang troupe Ngesti Pandawo. Limping through the Covid-19 pandemic, the troupe finally reawoke to audience applause in early January 2022.
The loud sounds of the Javanese gending, a type of traditional percussion orchestra, reverberated through the Ki Narto Sabdo Building in the Raden Saleh Cultural Park Compound in Semarang, Central Java, on Saturday afternoon (15/1/2022). As many as 70 musicians and theatrical performers of the Ngesti Pandowo wayang orang troupe were rehearsing ahead of performing “Gandamana Luweng” the following evening.
In the dressing room, Agus (57) was busy applying face powder and face paint. That night, he was playing the role of Gatotkaca's uncle Brojokeso, a wise giant. He hummed as he dressed.
“I really missed the sound of gamelan. When I hear the sound of gamelan, my heart is soothed. Dadi lali nek nduwe utang [the burden of debt instantly disappears]," quipped Agus, chuckling in front of a large mirror.
That night, for the first time since the forced hiatus due to coronavirus restrictions, Agus was getting ready to perform for an audience of around 30 people in the 100-seat theater. A number of fellow performers had appeared in their premiere shows on 8 Jan., when his situation prevented him from joining them.
Good news arrived at the end of December 2021 for Ngesti Pandowo, one of the very few surviving wayang orang troupes in Java. The troupe learned that it could return to staging live performances in the first week of January, albeit for a limited audience.
Ngesti Pandowo was founded by Ki Sastrosabdo in 1937. Before the pandemic, the performed at least once a week at the Ki Narto Sabdo Building. When the pandemic broke out, they stopped performing. Entering the fourth month of the pandemic, they were allowed to resume performing, but without a live audience.
The long wait to perform live on stage once again had finally ended, which made all the artists enthusiastic. Mohamad Fajri Fadilah (23) could not hide his elation. "The atmosphere backstage, doing makeup like this, is what we were yearning for," said Fajri, who lives in Gajahmungkur.
While dressing in their costumes and applying their makeup, the performers were engrossed in chats and discussions, not only about their roles or the storyline, but also about the world outside the theater.
Kompas/P Raditya Mahendra Yasa
One of the puppets dressed up to shape the characters in the inaugural performance of WO Ngesti Pandowo, Saturday (8/1/2022) at the Ki Narto Sabdo Building, Raden Saleh Cultural Park, Semarang City, Central Java.
Struggling for livelihood
Missing each other and struggling to meet their pressing daily needs had made them desperate to return to the stage.
Wiwit (57), a stage decorator at Ngesti Pandowo, conceded that since the regular performances had been stopped because of the pandemic, his household finances had slumped, so he had to help his wife tend to their shop.
He received occasional food assistance food from the government or the Ngesti Pandowo management. “When I started performing again, it was not bad. I could earn from Rp 300,000 to Rp 400,000 a week. Hopefully, we can continue to perform like this," said the father of four.
Sri Wahyuni, another member of Ngesti Pandowo, said that during the pandemic many of her colleagues had become on-demand ojek (motorcycle taxi) drivers or opened small businesses. A wayang orang performer since 1973, Sri said the pandemic had dealt the troupe a severe blow, both economically and psychologically, adding that the troupe had proved its resilience against the many setbacks.
At the beginning of the pandemic, the artists were in limbo. Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo had visited them to extend assistance as well as challenging them to perform virtually on YouTube. They had broadcast several virtual performances since July 2020.
Ngesti Pandowo head Djoko Muljono said the troupe had performed live on YouTube every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4 p.m. for around 10 minutes. There was indeed a difference between performing virtually and performing live, he said.
Many fans donated. We were very grateful, it helped us greatly.
The troupe included the bank account number for Ngesti Pandowo in their YouTube videos. “Many fans donated. We were very grateful, it helped us greatly," he said.
Sarosa, the Semarang Culture and Tourism Office’s cultural attractions head, also extended assistance to Ngesti Pandowo, especially in financing the troupe’s virtual productions.
The members of Ngesti Pandowo are hoping that their live performance in early January would be an occasion to revive wayang orang from the adverse impacts of the pandemic. Hopefully.
