A Memoir of WS Rendra Willibrordus Surenda Broto REndra, known as WS Rendra was born in Solo on November 7, 1935. He was a poet, writer, dramatist, cultural activist, and theater director. He was on of the most talented artists and often clled “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 (Theater Workshop) in Yogyakarta. The group quickly astonished audiences with works that were artistically experimental. Rendra rose to fame as a poet in the 1950’s. he is also credited as the man who brought modern Indonesian theater to its maturity through his experimental woeks 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 MOhamada dubbed these experimental performance as a “mini-word theater.” Rendra died at the age of 73, but the remained he most influential poet in the country. How did Bengkel Teater amaze their fans?

A Memoir of WS Rendra

            Willibrordus Surenda Broto REndra, known as WS Rendra was born in Solo on November 7, 1935. He was a poet, writer, dramatist, cultural activist, and theater director. He was on of the most talented artists and often clled “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 (Theater Workshop) in Yogyakarta. The group quickly astonished audiences with works that were artistically experimental. Rendra rose to fame as a poet in the 1950’s. he is also credited as the man who brought modern Indonesian theater to its maturity through his experimental woeks 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 MOhamada dubbed these experimental performance as a “mini-word theater.”

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

 

How did Bengkel Teater amaze their fans?