Musical Drama

"INDONESIA IS..."

Written and directed by:

Surya Hadi Sunarto

SYNOPSIS

Indonesia in 1984 witnesses a wave of political imprisonment, the rise of military power, and the purging of those who oppose the dictatorial rule of the New Order regime. Those who fought in the independence movement for a democratic and free Indonesia were silenced by fear and threats of impeachment.

Maria Octavia is now a professor - and a rector - at a prestigious university in the country's capital city of Jakarta. Wilmar Ananta, her comrade and closest companion, teaches a politics class at the university. Their lives are a clash between the constant battle for justice and truth, and a small world of friendship and romance. At a glance, life seems to have worked out the way they wanted it to - but beneath the beautiful facade, cracks remain.

Irana, A Ching and Agung are three of the few educated young intellectuals studying under Professor Ananta. Coming from different backgrounds - one of poverty, another of a business conglomerate, and the other of government connections - the three have distinctly different opinions of what constitutes this entity all of us call "Indonesia".

What is Indonesia to a girl whose mother had raised her in abject poverty?

What is Indonesia to a boy whose ethnicity became the subject of implicit ridicule?

What is Indonesia to a woman whose "correct" choices had killed all the dreams she'd had?

What is Indonesia to a man whose ideals had been deterred by the New Order regime?

This musical drama explores issues of conformity, personal liberty, and freedom of expression. At the end of the day, "Indonesia is..." is simply a reflection of the numerous, yet often unremembered, sacrifices made by courageous heroes in their struggle against tyranny in order to create the society we live in today.

This is their story.

MAIN CAST

(In order of appearance)

A Ching Litien:

Gary Kong

Agung Sadrawijaya:

Yonathan Febrian Tanjung

Irana Arifin:
Maria Helena Sutadji

Wilmar Ananta:

Anthony Khong

Maria Octavia:

Joanna Octavia

Salim Anggoro:

Albert R Kusuma