As one of the agendas of the 2024 Summer Course Program organized jointly by Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM), Victoria University (VU), and Institut Seni Yogyakarta (ISI), a general lecture was held on Thursday, July 11, 2024. The lecture took place from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM at the Siti Baroroh Building, Room 201, Faculty of Cultural Sciences, UGM.
This lecture was delivered by Dr. Rudy Wiratama, S.I.P., M.A., an expert in traditional Indonesian puppetry. Dr. Rudy presented highly engaging material on various types of wayang, such as wayang kulit and wayang golek. He explained the philosophical meanings contained in each character, the performance methods, and much more.
Dr. Rudy’s discussion attracted significant attention from the participants, especially the students from VU. They asked many questions about wayang, such as whether wayang golek and wayang kulit can be performed together, whether wayang stories must be taken from religious or cultural stories or can be created to follow contemporary developments, and so on.
In addition to providing theoretical explanations, Dr. Rudy also gave the lecture participants the opportunity to handle wayang puppets directly. He even demonstrated how to perform with wayang, making the lecture atmosphere more lively and interactive.
This event not only provided new insights for the participants about wayang art but also strengthened their understanding of Indonesian culture. This general lecture became one of the highlights of the summer course program and is expected to increase interest and appreciation for traditional arts among international students.
