MENCARI SITI Searches for Musical Talents to Star in A New Musical by INDONESIA KAYA, Garin Nugroho, and TEMAN

On December 8th, 2020, a virtual press conference was held by Indonesia Kaya (www.indonesiakaya.com). Unusually, the conference was not for an upcoming show, but rather for an audition. MENCARI SITI (Looking for Siti) is an audition campaign starting on December 8th and ending on December 31st, 2020, as the year ends.

The audition is looking for actors and actresses between 18 and 35 years of age capable of the whole package of acting, singing, and dancing. The free audition form is available on Indonesia Kaya's website and requires the auditionee to post their audition videos online.

The audition is for a yet unnamed web musical series based on the classic Indonesian novel Sitti Nurbaya: Kasih Tak Sampai by Marah Rusli, first published in 1922. The plot tells of the romance between the titular Sitti and her lover Samsulbahri; to help her father out of debt, Sitti was forced into an arranged marriage with the rich but cruel Datuk Meringgih. The musical will make its debut next year.

Heading the production will be film director Garin Nugroho, whose illustrious career spanned decades. His most recent feature-length work, The Memories of My Body (or Kucumbu Tubuh Indahku in Indonesian), swept 7 awards at the 2019's Indonesian Film Festival, including Best FIlm and Best Director.

The musical's script will be written by a team of writers, likewise chosen through an open call. A workshop, titled Mencari Penulis (Looking for Writers), selected 70 writers from 400 applicants to attend a master class with Garin Nugroho and Nia Dinata. The final team of writers will be selected from those 70.

Garin and the team of writers will collaborate with the quickly rising newcomer Teater Musikal Nusantara - or TEMAN - on the theatrical side, represented by producer Chriskevin Adefrid and artistic director Venytha Yoshiantini at the press conference. Previously, they worked with Indonesia Kaya on the episode Rara J of #MusikalDiRumahAja.

"This online program will allow anyone to have the same chance, wherever they might be, to join Indonesia's performing arts scene," stated Renitasari Adrian, the program director of Indonesia Kaya, in the press release. Though the rehearsal and shooting process have not been detailed further, it was indicated that provisions will be made for people outside Jakarta (where the creative team is based on).

For audition form and more information, visit Indonesia Kaya's website or Instagram.

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