Indonesian theatrical traditions
To be offered next in 1996
B Hatley
This subject consists of a study of Indonesian theatre traditions in their social contexts and in the light of theories of performance, particularly semiotic and anthropological approaches. The major focus will be the theatre forms of Java and Bali, but examples from other areas will be included where appropriate. The subject will begin by examining the roles of performances in the ritual and social life of `traditional' Indonesian communities. We shall attempt to define the formal qualities of different theatre genres and the nature of their links with the religious, social and political contexts of performance. Then attention will focus on changes in theatrical expression associated with modernisation, Westernisation and Indonesia's development as a nation state, and the concern to create in modern theatre a distinctive Indonesian identity.
Assessment
Essay (3500 words): 50% * Seminar presentation and paper (2000 words): 40% * Seminar participation: 10%
Recommended texts
Brandon J On thrones of gold Harvard UP
Brandon J Theatre in Southeast Asia Harvard UP
Keeler W Javanese shadow puppets, Javanese selves Princeton UP
Pavis P Theatre at the crossroads of culture Routledge
Peacock J Rites of modernization: Social and symbolic aspects of Indonesian proletarian drama Chicago UP
Rafferty E Putu Wijaya in performance U of Wisconsin
Riantiarno N Time Bomb and Cockroach Opera Lontar
Schechner R Between theatre and anthropology Pensylvania UP
Rendra The struggle of the Naga tribe UQP