| Merah Bolong Putih Bolong | Teater Payung Hitam |
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“Freedom is freedom. Not just freedom, won to die in vain, but freedom resisting the widening abyss of tyranny and injustice. Freedom is the proud and robust rock that defies futility.” - Teater Payung Hitam
Direct from Bandung, West Java, comes Teater Payung Hitam’s (Black Umbrella Theatre) spectacular piece of physical theatre Merah Bolong Putih Bolong (Red Hole, White Hole), opening on 8 August. This exploratory piece of theatre by writer and director Rachman Sabur, concentrates on the struggle for freedom, democracy and normality.
The Powerhouse Theatre will be transformed into a virtual wasteland of dirt and gravel for this high-risk theatrical performance. The eerie silence is swallowed up by the sound of clashing rocks as boulders fly through the air, suspended on thick ropes from the ceiling, creating an air of uncertainty for the performers. They swing dangerously as figures appear clashing rocks in their hands. These sounds indicate a sorrowful ritual.
Amongst the chaos a woman emerges. Her passionate song triumphs over the commotion, but then she collapses. Gravel rains upon her. She is dead. The tale unfolds as it is revealed to the audience that she is trying to reunite with the rest of the group … their estranged mother. Sadly, she has failed.
Following human life from creation to the return to the ground, the earth, the creator, the sights and sounds of Merah Bolong Putih Bolong will move audiences as Teater Payung Hitam draws them into a world of bitter reality where they portray the idea that ‘human is tragedy’ (Teater Payung Hitam). Watch a world fall to pieces as the wasteland becomes a burial ground for the hopes and dreams of the group.
Brisbane Powerhouse Director Andrew Ross remembers the intensity of the performance and explains why it was essential that he bring the experience to Brisbane audiences. “It was one of the most memorable theatrical spectacle I have ever experienced; physical theatre so dangerous I wondered how they survived a performance without seriously injuring themselves,” he says. “The woman next to me, a Javanese girl wearing a jilbab, transfixed by the performance, began to weep. This is beyond theatre. This is the soul of a nation on stage.”
Since it was founded in 1982 in Bandung, Teater Payung Hitam has created 68 productions. The company has performed throughout Indonesia and at the Laokoon Festival at Kamp Nagel Arts Centre in Hamburg.
Don’t miss Merah Bolong Putih Bolong, this unearthly story of the fight to live, to die, and to remember.
“Intensely gripping! They enrich the contemporary theatre scene.” – Tempo
Brisbane Powerhouse presents
MERAH BOLONG PUTIH BOLONG
(Red Hole, White Hole)
Venue: Powerhouse Theatre
Dates: Wed 8 – Fri 10 August
Times: 7:30pm
Tickets: $25/$17.50 (Groups 10 or more $17.50), Season Pass (4 performances) $75/$60
Bookings: 07 3358 8600 or brisbanepowerhouse.org
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