BWW Preview: A Staged Reading of Randy Baker's FORGOTTEN KINGDOMS by Jakarta Players Community Theatre

The oldest non-profit community theatre in Jakarta, Jakarta Players, will perform a staged reading of American playwright Randy Baker's brand new, never-before-staged play FORGOTTEN KINGDOMS on January 14, 2017 at the Pavilion Apartments' Clubhouse, Jl. KH. Mas Mansyur Kav 24, Jakarta 10220.

The reading of this new in-development play will start at 7.00 pm on Saturday evening, RSVP-only, with a Q&A and discussion with Randy Baker himself afterwards. This event is a collaboration with Rorschach Theatre, based in Washington DC.

The story of this staged reading is set in a small island in Indonesia, a wooden house balances on stilts over a churning sea. It is where the life is at stake, the future of this island's ancient culture and the happiness of an American family caught and intertwined between worlds.

Randy Baker's strange and mystical play is set in Indonesia and features the unusual encounter between an American missionary family and their Indonesian neighbors. The play explores issues of cultural clashes, mysticism, and religion, all while asking its audience to question their own assumptions of truth, faith, and reality.

The Director and Producer Swedian Lie, also a Board Member of Jakarta Players, stated that, "We are very excited to have an international collaboration with a noted theater company from Washington DC, Rorschach Theatre. Not only are we able to bring an international playwright to share his insights and work with our Jakarta audiences, but we can also bring a unique never-before-staged story that is set in Indonesia and influenced by Indonesian culture and values. That doesn't happen very often, and to have that opportunity to engage our community both artistically and intellectually is an exciting step for us as a community theatre group. It's going to be really interesting to see how the conversation between artist and audience unfolds. At the end of the day, theatre is a living art form that exists in that space between the one's onstage and the one's watching - and we hope this reading will tap into that energy and bring this intriguing story to life in front of everyone".

Baker, who was born in Singapore and now resides in America, is a playwright, director, and the co-Artistic Director of Rorschach Theatre, which he founded with Jenny McConnell Frederick in the summer of 1999. He is also a faculty member at American University and at the National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts. Baker grew up overseas, mostly in Malaysia and Singapore, and came back to attend the University of Richmond. He moved to Washington, DC in 1997 and received his MFA in creative writing from Goddard College. He is a member of the Dramatists Guild of America.

Tickets are free but you'll need to RSVP in http://bit.ly/2iTUX6k. For other inquiry, you can email Swedian at swedian.lie@gmail.com.