A Memoir of W.S. Rendra Willibrordus Surendra Broto Rendra, known as W.S. Rendre was born in Solo on November 7, 1935. He was a poet, writer, dramatist, cultural activist and theatre director. He was one of the most talented artists and often called “the peacock” by the press. Rendra studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, the same school as Marlon Brando, the greatest movie actor of all time. After he graduated, he returned to Indonesia in 1968, and he founded Bengkel Teater (Theatre Workshop) in Yogyakarta. The group quickly astonished audience with works that were artistically experimental. Rendra rose to fame as a poet in the 1950s. He is also credited as the man who brought modern Indonesian theatre to its maturity through his experimental works with Bengkel Teater. Rendra brought traditional expressions into modern context. In 1969, he created a series of dramas without any dialogues where actors employed their bodies and simple sounds such as bip bop, zzzz and rambate rata-rata. The journalist poet Gunawan Mohammad dubbed these experimental performances as a “mini-word theatre”. Rendra died at the age of 73, but the remained he most influential poet in the country. Why did Gunawan Mohammad call Rendra’s series of drama as a “mini-word theatre”? Because . .

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A Memoir of W.S. Rendra

Willibrordus Surendra Broto Rendra, known as W.S. Rendre was born in Solo on November 7, 1935. He was a poet, writer, dramatist, cultural activist and theatre director. He was one of the most talented artists and often called “the peacock” by the press.

Rendra studied at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, the same school as Marlon Brando, the greatest movie actor of all time. After he graduated, he returned to Indonesia in 1968, and he founded Bengkel Teater (Theatre Workshop) in Yogyakarta. The group quickly astonished audience with works that were artistically experimental. Rendra rose to fame as a poet in the 1950s. He is also credited as the man who brought modern Indonesian theatre to its maturity through his experimental works with Bengkel Teater. Rendra brought traditional expressions into modern context.

In 1969, he created a series of dramas without any dialogues where actors employed their bodies and simple sounds such as bip bop, zzzz and rambate rata-rata. The journalist poet Gunawan Mohammad dubbed these experimental performances as a “mini-word theatre”.

Rendra died at the age of 73, but the remained he most influential poet in the country.

Why did Gunawan Mohammad call Rendra’s series of drama as a “mini-word theatre”? Because . .