Grand Opening of Penjelajahan Orangutan!
Well we are finally here folks!
On Saturday Penjelajahan Orangutan was officially opened by the Vice Mayor of Palangka Raya, witnessed by a crowd of over two hundred people! There were speeches, followed by a ceremonial cutting of rope to signify the start of the tour. The whole celebration was quite the extravaganza, with supporting acts showcasing over 30 traditional Dayak dancers and musicians, as well as a theatre duo, contemporary band, and thoughtful environmentally themed acts by a dozen youth theatre students.
Finally we closed the event with a ‘trailer’ of Penjelajahan Orangutan, a ten minute teaser showcasing our orangutan, bird puppets, Batang Haring and Penjaga Alam. The scene at the civic monument was suitably grand, and all the puppetry, dance and music came together in a beautiful finale.
That buzz and excitement continued as we prepared for our first performance. A contrasting scene, we set up in a sandy clearing in Sai Gohong, a small village about an hour North of Palangka Raya. We were delighted to be met by over twenty children keen to be involved in the performance. They took on the roles of snakes (oolar), birds (burung), turtles (kura kura) and fish (ikan). We paraded through the village in the late afternoon, met with smiling faces as we traversed the pretty banks of the river.
The magic began at dusk, as all the puppets began to glow in the half light and Dayak dancer Yazit entered with a single bird puppet to a flute melody. The rest of the show just flowed from there, with exceptional performances from the core team and our young volunteers.
Exhausted but happy, we received great feedback from villagers, visitors and the village heads. Looking forward to the rest of the week, with new dates rolling on as follows!
Pentas Teater Jalanan, Kolaborasi Seni Teater Indonesia-Australia
28 Mei 15.30 TRAILER Tugu Soekarno, Palangka Raya
30 Mei 17.00 Pentas Kampung Sei Gohong
31 Mei 19.00 Pentas Di Kampung Suka Mulya
1 Juni 17.00 Pentas Di Kampung Habaring Hurung
2 Juni 17.00 Pentas di Kampung Banturung
4 Juni 17.00 Pentas Tugu Soekarno, Palangka Raya
