Thursday 20 november, early in the morning, our crew arrived in Kotabaru after a wrecking 30 hour journey. We used almost every means of transportation available in Indonesia: becak, train, taxi, airplane, bus and ferryboat. After a a few hours of decent sleep, the road conditions in Kalimantan don't allow for any sleep, we met with the selected actors and musicians from Kotabaru.
The framework for Titik Koma #2 is received with enthusiasm. After 3 days of rehearsing the basics of the show are visible. Starting tomorrow we will start to add "local colour." Kotabaru has unique traditional dances that we intend to learn, modernize and re-interpret as to match with the HIV/aids theme. Furthermore there are a few interesting local songs. Annang the musical director is learning to play panting a sort of guitar, which looks like a lute, but has a gypsie sound to it. The timespan of the collaboration (12 days) doesn't allow for very elaborate exploration of the Javanese versus the Kalimantan culture, but after 3 days I already have the feeling both groups of arists are learning a lot out of the exchange.
The athmosphere in the group is uplifting. Titik Koma #2 is the first collaboration ever between artists from Java and Kotabaru so everyone is excited to be part of the exchange. I'll leave you with a few pictures of the rehearsals, with high hopes we will offer the people of Pulau Laut Kalimantan an educating and spectacular show.
Assalam!
14 november
Next week it is happening, 9 artists from Tegal (Central-Java) are heading for Kota Baru (South-Kalimantan). Rehearsels got of to a slow start, but currently everyone is putting in all the hours to make up for the lost time at the start. Titik Koma #2 is becoming theatrepiece filled with symbolic dance and movement, so a completely different show than first Titik Koma.
In 6 different scenes the various ways in which the HIV/aids virus spreads are symbollicaly interpreted. The big challenge for the actors is that they have to play the props as well as the characters, everything is in constant flux, just as the virus itself is always moving. We use 20 white sarungs to create moving images and create different atmospheres for each scene. The show on the first of December will be on a huge stage so everything is portrayed BIG!
The planned 3 shows have been brought down to 2 shows. Instead of putting energy in a third show within Kota Baru, we are focussing completely on the show at the stage next to the sea, right in front of the main square of Kota Baru. The try-out will be on the 29th of december in Berangas, a little town some 45min. away from Kota Baru.
Hopefully I will be able to further inform you from Kalimantan. In the meantime everything and everyone in Tegal is full of energy and anticipation to pack up our things and head for Kalimantan.
Titik Koma II is made possible by
