Series of events to celebrate the 68th anniversary of Universitas Gadjah Mada will be closed by the Ketoprak Arok-Dedes, a humorous play that will be performed by the leaders of the university, including the Rector and Deans.
The humorous play which will be held on December 22 at Koesnadi Hardjosoemantri Cultural Center tells the story about Arok-Dedes, an adaptation story from classical literature entitled Serat Pararaton which contains the history of the Kings of Singasari and Majapahit Palace in the 15th and 16th centuries.
“This is considered as a colossal ketoprak play because there are more than 100 supporting players in the play. It is also supported by the Professors and alumni, thus it is a synergy among the leaders of the university, faculties, and all academic community,” said the director, Dr. Cahyaning Dewojati, during a press conference on Thursday (21/12).
Cahyaningrum said Serat Pararaton tells the story about the life journey of Ken Arok who was born as gods incarnation, thrown away by Ken Endog, treated by Lembong, later he fell in love with Ken Dedes who was the wife of Ametung.
“The message delivered in the story is actually very serious, however, it is presented in a humorous way in order to entertain the audience. The Deans involved in the performance will deliver dialogue regarding their worry on their respective disciplines,” she added.
The play is interesting not only from the story but also the performance. It involves many supporting roles and presents the cultural richness. In addition, all musical instruments and traditional dance are performed by UGM academic community.
With various things that have been prepared for the past month, Cahyaningrum hopes the supporting players can present a good performance which is not only interesting and interesting but also can deliver nationalism values in line with the theme of the 68th anniversary of UGM.
“This is a present from UGM for the community. There are many moral values and surprises that will be shown during the performance. We hope the audience will be entertained,” she added.