What do you mean? Joint Australian-Indonesian Theatre Production Explores Language and (Mis)Understanding

A unique theatre production involving students from UIN Sunan Gunung Djati and co-directed by Australian actor and teacher Kerensa Dewantoro and well-known Bandung-based playwright and director Yunis Kartika is attracting praise and interest from local university and school students, as well as the artistic community in Bandung.

The show, ‘What Do You Mean?’ (Maksudnya Apa?), explores the power of language to enlighten, confuse and entertain. To illustrate this, the production’s troupe of young second-year students from the humanities faculty use a range of languages – Indonesian, English, Sundanese, Arabic and Tibetan – in their performance.

Performed on campuses around Bandung through April, the show’s tone is frequently comic and cheeky, yet always persuasive and perceptive, in demonstrating the impact of globalization on local languages and the need to counter misunderstandings and intolerance.

The script of ‘What Do You Mean?’ is drawn from themes discussed during a series of workshops on writing performance texts for students and staff of UIN Sunan Gunung Djati’s English and Arabic departments. The workshops, entitled, “Language and Identity: Things of Value to You and Me”, were moderated by Ms Dewantoro and Ms Kartika.

Using improvisational games and intensive writing exercises, the workshops gave students the opportunity to reflect on and explore their own values and identity in a multi-cultural, multi-faceted, multi-lingual society.

The workshop series and concerts are supported by a grant from the Australia-Indonesia Institute, an Australian Government Initiative, in cooperation with UIN Sunan Gunung Djati.

The final performances of ‘What Do You Mean?’ will be held at Universitas Islam Nusantara, Bandung, on 25 April and at Universitas Islam Bandung on 29 April.

Further information:
Fiona Hoggart, First Secretary (Cultural) Tel. (021) 2550 5265, hp. 0811 936 302