Wayang Wong - Performances

Performances

Performances of wayang wong are regularly staged in main cities in Java such as Jakarta, Yogyakarta, Surakarta (Solo), and so on, although they are sometimes not well-publicised. A series of well-known dramatic monthly evening performances of wayang wong from the Ramayana is performed each year at the Prambanan temple near Yogyakarta during the dry season (usually May to October). Episodes from the Mahabharata are often performed in the Sriwedari park theatre in Surakarta city in Central Java.

Jakarta

In Jakarta the Wayang Orang Bharata group, one of the oldest Wayang orang groups existing in Jakarta, generally stages performances in the Bharata Theatre just north of Pasar Senen near the centre of the city each Saturday night. The Bharata Theatre, which seats around 300 people, was renovated with funds from the Jakarta city government in the early 2000s. The performances are often based around stories of conflict between clans drawn from the Mahabharata. Presentations involve traditional Javanese dancing, stylised fighting, and periods of dialogue, accompanied by music from a substantial gamelan orchestra. Actors representing the well-known Punokawan clowns, including the much-loved Semar, usually involve themselves in the action, often poking considerable fun at the self-important lives that the princes and high-born warriors lead. Ticket prices are relatively modest with even the best seats in the Bharata Theater generally costing (early 2013) less than $US 10 per person.