Jakarta Theater Festival Will Return, Carrying the Theme "Homo Theatricus: City, Subsistence, and Imagination"

Kapanlagi.com - Through the theme Homo Theatricus: City, Subsistence, and Imagination, the premise offered is a reading of theater people in the midst of a harsh city (Jakarta) who can maintain their livelihood to continue developing their creative imagination.

The Jakarta Theater Festival (FTJ), as a development platform in the form of a theater art competition, has carved its creative journey since 1973. Originally known as the Jakarta Youth Theater Festival (FTRJ), FTJ was born from the initiative of Mr. Wahyu Sihombing (late), who was then a member of the Theater Committee - Jakarta Arts Council (DKJ).

FTJ as a multi-level competition is part of DKJ's initiative to enrich the world of performing arts in Jakarta. The competition ladder starts from the FTJ preliminary round at the level of five administrative city regions, then the winners perform in the FTJ final round of DKI Jakarta. FTJ aims to foster and develop theater groups in Jakarta.

In 2023, FTJ has gone through 50 years as a space for expression for theater practitioners in Jakarta. Still under the auspices of the Jakarta Arts Council and the Department of Culture, the 50th FTJ will be held in a special way.

The celebration of FTJ's 50th anniversary will be a meeting point for performances from other festivals in Jakarta such as the Children's Theater Festival, the Student Theater Festival, and the Campus Theater Festival. In addition, there will be a Curation path opened for seniors who have participated in FTJ and Traditional Theater.

1. Starting from a Workshop Titled 'Theater Criticism'

Personal Documentation

Through two approaches of the FTJ 50th platform, in the development lane, it begins its series of activities with a Theater Criticism Workshop held on August 27 and 28, 2023, at the meeting room of the Jakarta Arts Council (DKJ), Cikini, Central Jakarta.

This training is guided by two senior writers, Benny Yohanes (Bandung) and Bambang Bujono (Jakarta). After selecting 46 prospective participants who registered through social media open call, 25 participants were determined to meet the criteria for attending the Theater Criticism Writing Workshop class.

The participants come from various backgrounds, ranging from theater activists, performing arts journalists, performing arts lecturers, students, and freelance writers.
In addition to receiving direct guidance from the two instructors, workshop participants are assigned to watch and write their critiques of theater performances throughout the FTJ 2023 series, both in the preliminary rounds of FTJ, the theater performances in the FTJ Finals, and the theater performances at the peak of the FTJ 50th event (Lebaran Teater)

2. Final Round

In the FTJ Final Round, we will witness the performances of the 15 best theater groups from five administrative regions in DKI Jakarta. The FTJ competition, which will feature two participant performances each day, will take place from October 23 to October 30, 2023. During the FTJ competition, three performance venues will be used: Teater Kecil and Teater Arena Wahyu Sihombing - TIM, as well as Teater Luwes - IKJ.

The peak of the FTJ competition awards night will be held on November 1, 2023, at Teater Besar - TIM. Alongside the FTJ Final Round 2023, several events from the National Cultural Week (PKN) will also be held.

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

In another hope, it opens up a space for dialogue among all activists, stakeholders, and social components of urban human order. A meeting that provides space for appreciation as well as sharing knowledge: experiences and references, titled Lebaran Teater.

(kpl/nas)