Tidak ada maksud apa-apa, cuma kepingin ngepos tetapi sayangnya tidak punya cukup waktu dan ide yang berbobot, jadi ya—
Ini essay yang gue kumpulin beberapa minggu lalu buat tugas UTS Pengantar Kesusatraan Drama. Nggak bagus sih, jadi nggak perlu dilihat juga -,- *teruskenapadiposcoba*
Essay: Sketsa Robot ver.2.0, A Satyr Comedy of Indonesian Education
Dini Amanda Putri, 1006765356
Sketsa Robot ver. 2.0 is a theatrical performance which is staged by Teater Sastra Universitas Indonesia. Performed in Graha Bakti Budaya, Taman Ismail Marzuki in 20 and 21 November 2010, this theatrical performance is directed by I Yudhi Soenarto, drama lecturer in English study program, Faculty of Humanities, and played by well-grounded stager and performer who have already had so much experiences in the world of theatre. Teater Sastra, which is formed in 1984, has already performed hundreds of play, some of them are works of world-famous playwright, such as Eugene O’Neill’s The Ile (performed in 1985), William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Othello (performed in 1988), and the newest is William Shakespeare’s The Tragedy of Macbeth in 2009.
The play, which is inspired by drama RUR (Rossum’s Universal Robot) by Karef Capek (1921), brings the future education theme, the time when educational institutions is preparing the robots and human to get into world of industry. This play, which has more than three hours duration, emphasizes how the human are so individualistic and will do anything and any way to get what they want. Bring the familiar social phenomenon in Indonesia, this satyr comedy performance presents a story where the education become difficult for the people who doesn’t have money, which unfortunately often happen in the real world indeed; individuality increase, even the majority of Indonesian people don’t want a human child anymore and prefer adopt a humanoid or robot; corruption, collusion, and nepotism have done without any guilty feeling, just for getting the glory for themselves without care about whether their deeds will make other people suffer or not. In this essay, I will try to figure out the aspects in this theatrical performance, Sketsa Robot ver. 2.0, and also give succinct comments about the aspects and the elements in there.
Theme that is brought in this play is really good: education, one thing that has become a basic phenomenon and very familiar with Indonesian people’s life, not only for people who has good life but also for the bad one. Sketsa Robot ver. 2.0 is very appropriate to be performed for college students and lecturers, because the story that is staged more or less satirizes the education system in Indonesia, where money become number one and the education become difficult for the poor people. Most of the education system in Indonesia is also intended just for producing workers that will fill the job vacancies in the world of industry, and often doesn’t care about the process of personality development, capability to think critically, even forget humanity aspects, moral, ethic, and society norm. Because of that, the future Indonesian students are equalized with robot, technology tool that has indoctrinated to only do things that has been determined and programmed, without know whether the things are true or false, and do anything to run the program successfully. This thing is supported with the fact that robot doesn’t have any sense and feeling. Theme that is brought in Sketsa Robot ver.2.0 raises questions: will people in the future become like robot, which only do things that have ordered without have any will to think critically and act against the wrong side? And, will education in the future become worse, be a capitalism tool, present people who will attempt freely to get benefit for themselves?
The plot is linear and straightforward. The story begins well, the first scene explain appropriately about the setting, and deliver a conflict when the child humanoid, Kartini, has reprogrammed and be a robot-type S3X. This conflict deliver the plot to the next story that the mother, happily or not, must send Kartini to URI (Universitas Robot Indonesia). In this scene, also been described that the wife dominates the husband. The role of each of them is twisted and exchanged; the wife is the one who works while the husband takes care of the child and home. This thing is not impossible to happen in the real life. Then, plot goes to the second scene when candidate students and their parents gather to be explained about the registration system in URI. This scene is very interesting because presents many type of robots, though the explanation from the education director is too long that raise bored feeling and makes me a little bit can’t catch the details in the dialogue. In this scene, there is a conflict that interested me the most, the fact that there is a student who can’t pay education cost with cash, that he must get many difficulties to stay in URI, even he has been treated differently from other students. The story continues to heavier conflicts, criticize capitalism and corruption, collusion, and nepotism, especially among both director of URI, Budi Hartawan and Yohannes Sugiharto. The scene when the students study in the class is also interesting because this scene shows the difference between the real human and humanoid, and also presents the fact that human is human, they can do wrong and forget things. Unfortunately, the ending of the story is not really satisfying for me, because in the end, the major conflict is actually the conflict between the two of the director whereas I hoped that the major conflict comes among the college students.
The characters are played very well, representate Indonesian people successfully and also make the robots just like the real one. The humanoid played in an appropriate way. Voice and gestures that they do, and the costumes which they wear really support the characteristic of the robot. The characters in this play is also described bravely, like the figure of education director and the figure of the URI’s rector, which has satirized the reality indirectly. The student characters has also given some uniqueness, with their personality that make the story more interesting.
The setting really support the story and the timeline. The advance and modern equipment presents directly or been described in the dialogues, such as the spin door, hologram, and also the fact that books is not be used anymore, replaced by the tool like laptop that has owned by the majority of human in that time. Rupiah is not be used anymore also, replaced with Asio—maybe it’s inspired from Europe currency, Euro—though it’s only replace the name, not the usefulness. The setting transition has done quickly and this thing really helps to shorten the duration that has already very long.
The other aspects in the play support the performance very well. The background music is used appropriately and doesn’t excessive. Lighting is good enough, that make the audience in the back still can see the performance clearly. The dialogues are pronounced obviously, make us laugh a lot, though there are so many ’dirty’ jokes that has inserted in the story. It makes the play seems too vulgar for me, and it’s a little bit annoying as well make me uncomfortable. Furthermore, the time that has been chosen to perform the play is quite not appropriate. It’s too late in the night, so there are many of the audiences go home early before the play over.
From the explanation above, we can conclude that Sketsa Robot ver.2.0 is an interesting performance with all its comedy and satirization which has brought appropriately, though a little bit vulgar. Except the vulgar things and the time that has been chosen to perform, overall this play really representate the future life that is not impossible to happen, and also reprove individualist people who prioritize their benefit, pragmatic and will do anything to get their desire.
Grammar oh grammar. Kasihan—terabaikan *hela napas*
Dini's Clip-O-Paper 