Jakarta Theater Festival (FTJ) Enters its 50th Year, Presents 13 Curated Performances from Domestic to International in 'Lebaran Teater' - Here's the Schedule!

Kapanlagi.com - Maintaining a theater festival is not an easy task. Jakarta is a tough and competitive city. It requires strong stamina. The subsistence of Jakarta's theater scene, which is perceived as a minimalist way of life, becomes a way of life that is not just resilience to all disasters, but also a spirit that arises from the theater enthusiasts themselves as a resilience for a long-lasting life.

Resilience emphasized by the hope of developing imagination as a creative power to continue creating. Through the theme Homo Theatricus: City, Subsistence, and Imagination, the premise offered is a reading of theater artists in the midst of a tough city (Jakarta) who can maintain their livelihoods to further develop their creative imagination.

Jakarta Theater Festival (FTJ), as a developmental platform in the form of a theater arts competition, has been carving its creative journey since 1973. Initially known as Jakarta Youth Theater Festival (FTRJ), FTJ was born from the initiative of Mr. Wahyu Sihombing (late), who was a member of the Theater Committee - Jakarta Arts Council (DKJ) at that time.

1. 50 Years of Jakarta Theater Festival

Jakarta Theater Festival (FTJ) Enters its 50th Year / Photo Credit: Personal Documentation

Entering its 50th year in 2023, the Jakarta Theater Festival (FTJ) has not been a smooth journey without obstacles. Apart from experiencing fluctuations in the quantity of participants and the ups and downs in the quality of performances by participant groups, there have also been issues with the system and mechanisms. However, in the two years of FTJ (2022 - 2023), the FTJ platform has been strengthened through guidance and development in its organizing guidelines.

Through two approaches, the 50 Years of Jakarta Theater Festival platform began its series of activities with the Theater Critique Workshop held on August 27 and 28, 2023. In the FTJ Final Round, there will be performances by the top 15 theater groups from five administrative regions in DKI Jakarta. The FTJ Competition, which will feature two participant shows each day, will take place from October 23 to 30, 2023. Alongside the FTJ Final Round 2023, several events from the National Cultural Week (PKN) will also be held.

2. Theater Eid

Jakarta Theater Festival (FTJ) Enters its 50th Year / Photo Credit: Personal Documentation

In addition to relying on the foundation platform through competition mechanisms with assessment criteria, the 50th Jakarta Theater Festival also applies a development approach through the curation corridor. The curatorial goal is to open up space for the principles of sustainability and the vitality of theater in Jakarta and beyond; to read aesthetic achievements and artistic exploration; and to offer innovative dramaturgical approaches.

In another hope, there is a space for dialogue among all practitioners, stakeholders, and social components of the urban human order. A meeting that provides space for appreciation as well as sharing knowledge: this experience and reference are titled Theater Eid.

Theater Eid, which will take place from November 20th to 29th, 2023, will feature various theater groups from the theater channels in Jakarta and Indonesia. In addition to the three best winning groups from the FTJ competition, there will also be performances by two curated groups in the city that use a Site-specific Theater approach at TPU Bantar Gebang and Warung Tegal (Warteg) in Tebet, South Jakarta.

3. Interesting Performances from Various Stages

Equally interesting, in the Theater Eid, we will witness the performances of our brothers and sisters from the disability group as well as the best theater group from the winners of the Campus Theater Festival. There are also three theater groups from outside the city, and one theater group from abroad (Portugal). Among the Theater Eid performances, there will be Theater Discussions that reveal the development of student theater. Apart from the Site-Specific Theater performance, all the Theater Eid events will be held at TIM venues.

4. Theater Eid Schedule

Monday, November 20, 2023

20.00 WIB

Blessing Community Believes

"Pilgrim Project II"

Small Theater

Tuesday, November 21, 2023

16.00 WIB

Sahabat Matahari

"Never-Ending Party for Equality"

Big Theater

20.00 WIB

Theater Department of Jakarta Institute of Arts

"Husband's Education"

Luwes Theater

Wednesday, November 22, 2023

20.00 WIB

Anala Theater

"Spartan Phoenix"

Small Theater

Thursday, November 23, 2023

20.00 WIB

Syahid Theater

"Church Machine"

Wahyu Sihombing Theater

Friday, November 24, 2023

Kala Theater

"Postpartum"

Luwes Theater

Saturday, November 25, 2023

16.00 WIB

Potehi Puppet Show

"Cinwa's House"

Warung FTJ

20.00 WIB

Pulo Theater

"The Ballad of the Widows"

Small Theater

Sunday, November 26, 2023

16.00 WIB

Discussion on Children and Student Theater

"Playing Theater and the Formation of Children's or Students' Personalities"

Wahyu Sihombing Theater

20.00 WIB

Neo Theater

"Blood Wedding"

Luwes Theater

Monday, November 27, 2023

16.00 WIB

Mariyo Suniroh

"Makmur Jaya: The Third Space Behind Taste and City"

Warteg Makmur Jaya Tebet

20.00 WIB

Colectivo JAT

"Bulldog"

Small Theater

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

16.00 WIB

Dendi Madiya

"Goyang Bulok"

Bantar Gebang Landfill

Wednesday, November 29, 2023

16.00 WIB

Roedjito Discussion

Wahyu Sihombing Theater

20.00 WIB

Mantaka Drama Group

"The Killer"

Small Theater

The entire series of activities for the 50th Jakarta Theater Festival is organized by the Jakarta Provincial Office of Culture and supervised by the Theater Committee of the Jakarta Art Council. This event is also sponsored by the Djarum Foundation, National Cultural Week, and the Ministry of Education and Culture, as well as supported by the Jakarta Institute of Arts, Jakpro, and TIM.

JOIN THE KAPANLAGI.COM WHATSAPP CHANNEL FIRST SO YOU DON'T MISS THE LATEST UPDATES AND NEWS ABOUT THE ENTERTAINMENT WORLD OF INDONESIA AND ABROAD. CLICK HERE, KLOVERS!

(kpl/slm)