Sweet Dreams Sweet
"Sweet Dreams Sweet" is a short piece of art / theatre that involved thirty female performers, wearing white uniformed costumes. The move in pairs, walk, lie down, sit all around the performance area. They dip their feet into blue colored water and blue stain on their white stockings.
This performance simulating the energy of uniformity, where plurality is gradually forced to be reduced. I consider that the change of the social plurality in Indonesia is now going into all means, political, as well as cultural.
The duration of this was two hours and was showcased at the Ikon Gallery in Birmingham during 2023. One thing that i found difficult throughout this performance is that there was little to no audio and mostly silent. Opportunely we all overcame this difficulty by focusing on each other and how we acted around each other in the performance.
1984
1984 is a dystopian science fiction novel and so-called ‘cautionary tale’, it explores themes of mass surveillance, totalitarianism, the repressive regimentation of people and their behaviours, torture, the manipulation of history and facts and the class system. The novel takes place in the year 1984 in which England has been transformed under a totalitarian superstate known as Oceania. 1984 follows Winston Smith, a mid-level member of the Party. The Party demands the allegiance and adoration of its citizens. But, Winston Smith has escaped the brainwashing that seems to have taken over everyone else’s mind. At the center of the Party is a mysterious figurehead who goes by the name of Big Brother. Winston’s burgeoning interest in the past and his hatred of the Party and its cruel, murderous, and destructive policies lead him to seek out the revolution.
I took part in my local theatre group and their production of 1984 during 2023 - 2024. I had the role of O'Brien who is a complex and enigmatic character from George Orwell’s dystopian novel. He is a high-ranking member of the Inner Party and presents himself as a covert rebel sympathizer to the protagonist, Winston Smith. However, O’Brien ultimately reveals himself as a loyal agent of the Party, who uses his position to entrap, torture, and re-educate dissidents like Winston. His role is pivotal in illustrating the Party’s manipulative power and the futility of rebellion in the totalitarian state depicted in the novel. Throughout the process of rehearsals during this time i found playing the character hard as i had to challenge myself to become him in very way and it showed on stage through my characteristics and voice being majorly different from me as a person. I am and always will be very proud of this production because of how much work i have put into this show behind the scenes and in front of the audience on stage.
Doctor Faustus
Doctor Faustus is a play by Christopher Marlowe that tells the story of a scholar who makes a deal with the devil for power and knowledge. The play is based on the legend of Johann Faust, a German magician who allegedly sold his soul to the devil. The play explores the themes of ambition, morality, and the consequences of human actions. The play also reflects the contrast between medieval and Renaissance values.
I played the character of Beelzebub and King Raymond and am also part of the ensemble.
In Doctor Faustus, Beelzebub is the chief of the demons, ranking only below Lucifer, the devil himself. In the play, Faustus pits the Christian God against Beelzebub and openly pledges his loyalty to the latter, saying,
"There is no chief but only Beelzebub;
To whom Faustus doth dedicate himself."
He again uses Beelzebub as the antithesis of God, saying he will
"despair in God, and trust in Beelzebub."
King Raymond is the King of Hungary and Assistant to the Pope and who is in turn fooled by Faustus and Mephistopheles.
Throughout this whole experience i found it to be very team building as I connected with my ensemble cast mates very well especially behind the scenes helping my cast mates with any quick changes that are needed in the show.
The Lovely Bones
The Lovely Bones was my first adult theatre show with the Crescent Theatre. It is a novel by Alice Sebold in which a young teenager Susie Salmon is murdered. Susie watches over her loved ones as they gradually recover from her death.
After being murdered, Susie watches over her friends and family as a ghost. Her father and sister struggle to prove that their neighbor, Mr. Harvey, is Susie's murderer.