Wayang Orang

Wayang Orang is an Indonesian Javanese live performance. The people are dressed up in the traditional costumes acting in various stories, mostly Javanese Hindi plot. For example, Ramayana. The one that me and my group hosted was titled "Babad Alas Wonokerto."

Wayang orang usually has music played in the background, music from a gamelan set. It also usually combines comedy and drama. The movements during the play resembles dancing if you can call it a dance.

So Babat Alas Wonokerto tells the story about a royal family whose uncle betrayed them. Fearing the uncle's murderous intention, the family ran away and had to build a kingdom in a forest. The play was organized in January at the Jakarta Art Centre, an old Dutch building but well maintained.

What was awesome about this performance was that people like us, not professionals, can actually participate in it. Some of my friends were in it and 2 months of exhausting practice totally paid off. It went very well! Here are some pictures of the act