Do you still remember one of the scenes in the film Ada Apa dengan Cinta 2 when Rangga takes Cinta to watch a puppet theater performance in Yogyakarta? Both of them really appreciate the story of a pair of dolls who are sad because they have to be separated from each other. It could be that it is related to what Cinta and Rangga experienced so they are so absorbed in it. If you remember that it might help a little to imagine the show. But if not, that's no problem because we will review it here.
The theater in question is Papermoon Puppet Theater , a wayang puppet show made from the main raw material of paper. This Yogyakarta-based theater was first founded in 2006 by Co-Artistic Director, Maria Tri Sulistyani, or who is familiarly called Ria. In the development process, she collaborated with her husband, visual artist and Papermoon doll designer, Iwan Effendi, as well as a group of puppeteers, such as Anton Fajri, Pambo Priyojati, Beni Sanjaya, Muhammad Alhaq, and Hardiansyah Yoga.
Papermoon Puppet Theater was founded on Ria's belief that anything can come to life. Every creation, every object, and every thing in the world holds life somewhere within it. With the performances presented, Papermoon Puppet Theater hopes to bring these things to life.
When it was first established, the Papermoon Puppet Theater studio was collapsed by the Yogyakarta earthquake. Even so, they continued their activities by setting up emergency tents which were intended for children affected by the earthquake to play and study. Occasionally Papermoon holds puppet shows to entertain children who are bereaved by the earthquake.
After the situation returned to normal, the Papermoon Puppet Theater artists continued their activities in a studio located in Bantul, Yogyakarta. They are active in several activities, such as:
- Featuring original puppet shows with contemporary themes;
- creating fine art installations and exhibitions;
- holding workshops for all ages on puppetry and performance creation; And
- produces Partai Puppet, an international puppet biennale.
Quoting from its official Instagram , this theater does not hold performances regularly. They only hold shows on specific dates published on their social media accounts. The latest is Maracosa, a cinematic performance that focuses on the theme of batik in Indonesia.
Next, can you visit the Papermoon Puppet Theater studio ? The venue is not open to the public at any time. Because the studio is considered the kitchen where all Papermoon Puppet Theater works are created, there are times when artists need a quiet place to concentrate on creating their work. However, there are times when they hold a "Papermoon Open Studio", which allows the public to visit and have long conversations with the artists involved.
Apart from that, there is another way to visit the Papermoon Puppet Theater, namely by staying at the Papermoon Residency which is located not far from the studio. You can make a reservation in advance because only four rooms are available for visitors.
For more than 16 years of existence, Papermoon has not only actively worked domestically, but has also toured more than 10 countries. They managed to amaze audiences from Japan, Australia to the United States. In addition, in 2008 they first launched Pesta Puppet, an international puppet biennale that welcomes puppeteers from all over the world to Yogyakarta. There they share their work in a community setting.
That is information about Papermoon Puppet Theater which has become world famous. So you don't miss their latest show, you can visit the papermoonpuppet.com site or see their social media directly.