A Memoir of WS Rendra Willibrordus Surendra Broto Rendra, known as WS was born in Solo on November 7, 1935. He was a poet, writer, dramatist, cultural activist, and theater director. He was one of the most talented astists and often called “the peacock” by the press. Rendra studied at the American Academy of Dramatics 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 crdited as the man who brought modern Indonesian theater 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 Mohamad dubbed these experimental performances as a “mini-word theater.” Rendra died at the age of 73, but the remained he most influential poet in the country. Why did Gunawan Muhammad call Rendra's series of drama as a "mini-word theater"? Because...

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A Memoir of WS Rendra

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

Rendra studied at the American Academy of Dramatics 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 crdited as the man who brought modern Indonesian theater 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 Mohamad dubbed these experimental performances as a “mini-word theater.”

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

Why did Gunawan Muhammad call Rendra's series of drama as a "mini-word theater"? Because...