The Dramaturgy of Nostalgia and New Media in Sandiwara, West Sumatran Folk Theater

Abstract

This study describes the changes in the dramaturgy of sandiwara, a folk theater in West Sumatra. The research was carried out using a combined research method: literary studies and artistic methods, through a project of making play scripts and dramaturgical worksheets. Research data was collected through Focus Group Discussion (FGD) and individual interviews. The results of the qualitative analysis show that writing a play script can build a play’s creative ethos in sandiwara, bring up the quality, and originality of the ideas and themes. One of the drivers of creativity in sandiwara is nostalgia, the longing for the events of sandiwara as a medium for evoking the memories of ancestors, hometown, rural creative space, and knowledge production space. The process of designing dramaturgy worksheets shows that sandiwara performers’ perceptions tend to be optimistic about the progress of new media. Sandiwara performers see new media as an opportunity to elevate their performance and showcase their contemporary spirit.