Buleleng Northern Lights

Buleleng Mixes ‘Drama Gong’ and Modern Theater

Almost all Balinese remained awake during whole night until dawn in 1970s just to watch various plays known as ‘drama gong’ of traditional character such as Sam Pek Ingtay artist groups from Banyuning, Singaraja, Buleleng Regency. This group had toured not only from village to village in the regency of North Bali but also had shown his ability to audiences in the regencies of Tabanan, Badung, Jembrana, Gianyar and the outskirts.

Supported by old-crack actors, dancers, and gamelan strikers such as Jedur and Nengah Wijana, the drama entourage provided innovative entertainment to a great deal of Balinese community. During ‘PKB’ Balinese festival, Buleleng ‘KSB’ Association of Rural Banyuning’s Art promoted a combination of popular traditional theatre and modern theatrical art on Tuesday, 20 May 2003.
The story tells on a female called Sinta, who has a child, Watugunung, born with a greedy character. He could eat up to tens kilograms of rice, even not fully cooked. If he ever admitted to eating uncooked rice, his mother would burst with anger and beat Watugunung’s head with a spoon until he cried and disappeared without returning home.
Watugunung later became a strong adult man successful in overtaking Sinta’s kingdom by marrying Sinta who was none other than his own mother. At the beginning, the marriage went well until Sinta noticed a wound on Watugunung’s head. It was through this that Sinta realized that her husband was really her own son. Sinta at last requested Watugunung to fight against Bhatara Wisnu. This fight resulted in Watugunung’s defeat.
The drama about Watugunung one year earlier roused the audience at the annual arts festival ‘PKB’ at Denpasar’s Art Centre with the performance of this theatrical collaboration by modern artists to his colleagues of a traditional art group. The modern artists appearing on stage were, among others, Nengah Wijana (Watugunung), Irse (Sinta), Jedur and Mang Lem (servant), Budi (Dewa Wisnu), Nanda (Watugunung as a child), Ayuk, Nuri, Rosi, Purnada, Kasmiada, Putu Suardani, Sutapa and Dek Arta. This drama performance also promoted lighting composer, Hardiman and musician, Kadek Suardana. (BTN/bll)