INS4310

Theatre in Indonesia - tradition, innovation, contestation

Subject to faculty approval
* Proposed to be offered next in 1999

Barbara Hatley

12 points
* 3 hours per week
* Second semester
* Clayton

Objectives Students who have successfully completed this subject should have gained an understanding of the main theatrical genres traditionally cultivated in Indonesian communites, and their roles in ritual and social life. They will also have followed the development of contemporary theatre in the national language, Indonesian, in response to Western cultural influence and competing interpretations of national identity. By reading scripts and watching videoed performances, they will have developed an understanding of the major trends in contemporary performance, inrelation to their social and political context.

Synopsis This subject provides an introduction to the traditional, regional forms and contemporary practice of theatre in Indonesia. It explores the themes of the contested meanings of `tradition' and `modernity', the role of theatre as an expression of identity, the history of contact with Western models and the links between theatre and politics.

Assessment Written work (7000 words): 75% seminar presentation: 25%