Performances in Suka Mulya, Habaring Hurung & Banturung
It has been full steam ahead with the most wonderful week of touring to the villages. The show is looking absolutely magical, with amazing responses from the audience, including ‘ooohs’ and ‘ahhhs’ with the introduction of every new character and riots of laughter for our orangutan clown.
“So wonderful” “So cool”
“So beautiful. This is exactly what the region needs.”
“The story is simple, but the message is powerful. The symbols are strong and full of meaning.”
“We need more activities like this in the future.”
“On behalf of the village, thank you for your performance”
And many people asking “Is that a real orangutan?”
Suka Mulya was a great highlight because it was a bit like playing a home game. With rehearsals in the village the week prior, all day children were approaching us asking “Berapa jam pentas?” (What time is the performance?). We had a fantastic night with a real festival atmosphere, hundreds of people, portable food vendors, music, all lit up by our beautiful lantern puppets.
Habaring Hurung was our greatest turn out of kids, with 85 children showing up, it must have been almost everyone in the village! We were terrified by the threat of rain with big heavy clouds hanging above us, foreshadowing a huge disappointment for all. But then, like magic, at just the right moment the clouds parted and we were covered by a sea of stars. We had our longest lantern parade yet, with so many little voices making a soundscape of birds, fish, turtles, snakes and motorbikes.
Banturung was also quite special once again with all the participants coming from the Orphanage Agape. They were so enthusiastic and wonderful to work with, and once again it was a great show as all the performers got into a real flow.
