Interview: Co-Founders Aldafi, Putri, and Adinda Introduce ASKARA, A New Indonesian Performing Arts Platform

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, as many performing arts communities and companies close their curtains for the time being, a new one emerges: ASKARA.

Named after the Sanskrit word for light, this brand new performing arts platform launched their debut work last month: a music video covering pop legend Titi DJ's Ekspresi (written & composed by Mira Lesmana and Indra Lesmana⁣, produced by Indra Lesmana⁣) - a song widely adopted in the Indonesian zeitgeist as the celebratory anthem for all things creative.

The four minute long video on their Instagram account featured many up-and-coming Indonesian performing artists, particularly those in the musical theatre sphere. As the accompanying caption stated, it was ASKARA's way of showing support for fellow artists during these troubling times.

To get to know them better, I interviewed ASKARA's triad of co-founders: Aldafi Adnan, Putri Indam Kamila, and Adinda Nindyachandra through email and Zoom. Here are their insights on ASKARA and performing arts.

Hi! Would you please introduce yourselves?

Aldafi: Halo! My name is Aldafi Adnan, a musical theatre performer, creative and one of the Artistic Directors of ASKARA. Graduated from LASALLE College of The Arts Singapore with BA (Hons) Musical Theatre and Certificate of Higher Education in Arts Management. After Studying and Working in Singapore for almost 6 years, I moved back to Jakarta in late 2018 did my Jakarta debut in Into The Woods, joined Indonesia Menuju Broadway and have been swimming in Jakarta arts and entertainment industry since then.

Putri: Hi! My name is Putri Indam Kamila, and I am a musical theatre performer, creative, and recently, one of ASKARA's Artistic Directors. I graduated from LASALLE College of The Arts Singapore with BA (Hons) Musical Theatre in 2017, moved back to Jakarta in 2018, and have been finding my way in the industry since then.

Adinda: Hi! My name is Adinda Nindyachandra and I am the producer of ASKARA. I graduated from Atma Jaya Catholic University of Indonesia with a Bachelor of Marketing Communication degree in 2014 and then I received a scholarship from LPDP to continue my Master Degree in Arts & Cultural Management at The University of Melbourne.
Recently I just got back from New York City for an internship at AKA NYC and StudentsLive Broadway Education Marketing.

How did the three of you first meet?

Aldafi: I knew Putri since high school, I was her senior back then and after I finish my certification in arts management we became classmate in College during our Musical Theatre Major

And Putri and Dinda know each other because they used to take dance lessons at the same studio together.

The three of us and then meet during Indonesia Menuju Broadway program by Galeri Indonesia Kaya and the rest is history

So what is ASKARA, in your own words?

Putri: ASKARA is a performing arts platform. With our vision of creating an authentic experience through our artistic work, it is our hope that in the process everyone could bring themselves inside the piece and take something out of it - like having a conversation.

What pushed you to create ASKARA?

Adinda: What pushed us to create ASKARA together is that we aim to craft the utmost authentic experience through producing compelling and relevant stories, providing a platform for artists to grow, and encouraging collaborations among performing artists.

We need collaborations more than ever. Therefore, we hope that through shared live experiences, we can break more walls and build more bridges for performing artists to create their art, collaborate with fellow artists and communicate their message to the audience.

ASKARA means 'light' in Sankrit, but how did you arrive at this name?

Putri: We had long discussions about our vision, and the word 'askara' speaks to us the most. The word 'light' can be translated as a source of illumination and enlightenment, which are what performing arts is for our lives and I believe so many of us performing artists and enthusiasts as well. We also believe that every person is unique in their own way and possesses a light within that is different than anyone else. Those are our hopes in deciding on ASKARA.

How does ASKARA place itself in Indonesian art industries?

Aldafi: Not just artists but everyone is different and that's what makes every human being unique in their own way. This uniqueness is the one that is going to be your signature style as an artist and ASKARA is here to make art with our own signature style, not to compete with the others but to complement each other.

Our industries are growing rapidly, more jobs, opportunities and productions are needed. Moving forward, we're hoping we can be a helpful addition to our industries by providing more opportunities for artists and arts worker to collaborate and showcase their arts

Putri: We believe that each of us is different, so for sure, the way we approach and create our work would be different. In terms of synergizing, we encourage collaborations and individual authenticity in our work.

Adinda: We believe that we have the same objective with fellow performing art platforms in Indonesia where we want to continuously improve the performing arts industry through the only way we know how; creating more arts.

We hope that ASKARA could be a safe place for performing artists to have an opportunity to develop themselves artistically and to be celebrated as the human beings that they truly are.

How does one join ASKARA? Is there a membership system?

Adinda: At the moment, we work with other creators on a project basis. For example, for our Ekspresi music video, we had Palka [Kojansow] as our video director and editor and Ai [Aidina Amanda] as our line producer. On our future projects, we are looking to collaborate with people who share the same vision and the same drive to grow together. So, in that sense, anyone can join.

What kind of work can we expect from ASKARA in the future?

Aldafi: The three of us went abroad to learn the craft and hustle so there's no denying that there will be elements of that in our work. However, deep inside we are Indonesian through and through so we are not going to forget our roots

If I can put it in a sentence, our work is going to have an authentic broadway influence with distinct Indonesians characteristics and flavours.

Putri: Hopefully works that speak to the creators and the audience. As well as a balance between our love and respect to the craft in which we have pursued through our learning backgrounds and our roots.

About your first video, what was the reasoning behind making it your debut work?

Aldafi: We knew from the start that we wanted to create something and originally, we wanted to make a live theatrical cabaret performance but unfortunately 2020 happened.

So we started thinking outside the box, we need to find something we can do digitally but still have that theatrical element in it and we know we wanted to dedicate this work to all artists and arts workers out there who are affected by this pandemic.

We were so brain-fried during the brainstorming and when we were taking a break I played EKSPRESI on Youtube and got triggered by it. I suggested to the others that we should make a cover of this song and the three of us agreed that the lyrics of EKSPRESI perfectly described what artist going through right now, there is just too much in our heart wanting to be expressed and nothing gonna stop us from making art.

And there is more to come ;)

What was the process like?

Aldafi: We wanted to make a cover but with a concept and at the same time still prioritise the health and safety of everyone involved.

Inspired by my experience in #MusikaldiRumahAja RARA J, we shot everything using an iPhone in one of our houses and only a group of people (less than 5) of both cast and creative was on location at the same time and we made sure everyone followed the protocols.

For the performance, we wanted everyone to be their best self, bring their authenticity and I only have One Direction:
What do you miss the most from performing on stage or working in/for a performance?

In terms of music, our wonderful MD Wishnu arranged the song for us and our vocal arranger Beyon and Galabby gave us our part. Then, we recorded our voices individually using our phone from the comfort of our own home, compiled everything, mixed by Edo and Voila!

What do you think the Indonesian performing art scene still lacks or needs in general?

Putri: The audience. We need more people witnessing and believing the work and talent of performing artists in the country.

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Rapid Fire Questions

(These questions were asked live. Each interviewee was asked to give the first answer that came to their mind, and they were given a chance to elaborate on their answer later.)

What's your favorite production that you've been in?

Aldafi: A Chorus Line, Into the Woods, and The Lee Kuan Yew Musical.
A Chorus Line was my final college performance. Therefore it was a culmination of my three years of study and one of my proudest moments. While Into the Woods and The LKY Musical were my first professional productions in Jakarta and Singapore, respectively.

Putri: A Chorus Line.
It was my graduation show alongside Dafi. Since it was the final show of our graduating class, we had a lot of audience. But that's not what it's about for me. I discovered a lot of things about myself as an actor there. And I really enjoyed the process. It has a special place in my heart.

Adinda: Beyond Babel.
It had been a long time dream of mine to work on a production by this dance couple, Keone and Mari Madrid. The show first ran in San Diego, but they brought it to New York City when I was there. So I applied for a front of house position. It was a rare space where everyone, no matter their ethnicity or beliefs, was accepted. And our voices were heard. Even as an usher, I felt seen and heard.
The show itself was a modern interpretation of Romeo and Juliet. I really appreciate the message that if you have love in yourself you can endue anything. Based on the work itself and its themes, it was the most enjoyable production I've been in.

Including yourself, who's the most ambitious ASKARA co-founder?

Adinda: Everyone is ambitious about their ideals. This is what makes us three the pillars of ASKARA; we cannot exist without each other. It can't work without everyone's ambitions.

Aldafi: All three of us. We are equally ambitious, so that's why we started this.

Putri: All three. I agree with what Adinda and Dafi said. Adinda is ambitious in knocking on people's doors. Dafi has that go-getter attitude and knows exactly what he wants. While I'm ambitious in my imagination.

What's a skill that you want to learn?

Aldafi: Theater directing.
Because aside from being a performer, I've been intrigued by directing for a while. I've tried my hand at directing plays at school since I was in junior high. But now that I'm trying to do it professionally, I feel that I need to learn it deeper and get more experiences, so I can improve my craft.

Adinda: Financial and budgeting.
Even if we have all the money in the world doesn't mean we can do just anything. But we need to plan; there are limitations. We need to have the correct reasoning on how we allocate our budget. We can't go 'let's do everything'. Crafting budget is an art in itself. And that's before going into how to generate revenue from art. And that's why I need to learn it.

Putri: Show business.
It's something I didn't know at all but I have since learned a bit from Dafi and Adinda. Your art needs an audience. What is the purpose of your art? If it's only for yourself, then you can keep it to yourself. But if you have something you want to convey to other people, you need to market your art to reach them. I want to learn all the nitty gritty about how our art can go beyond ourselves and our friends.

If anything is possible, what's a Broadway musical you want to bring here?

Putri: RENT.
I don't know when it is possible, so it's just a dream for now. It talks about a lot of taboo things that are so challenging to be talked about but I feel need to be talked about. I don't know when it will happen. But that's my answer

Adinda: Hadestown.
It was the first thing that came to my mind. It makes us discover a lot of things. It's not only entertainment, it provides you with a new perspective. Even if it's not necessarily a perspective you agree with, but it makes you think. For example, about our relationship with our significant other, our self-confidence, to be proud of ourselves, and if we can stand on our own without all these external factors like family and wealth.
It's something that should be brought here, because there's something valuable to be found not only in its production value but also in its storytelling.

Dafi: Once on This Island.
It's a classic love story. Everyone loves a classic love story, not only in Indonesia but throughout the world. It's such a beautiful story as well, with a lot of layers underneath the story itself. Furthermore, we are an island nation as well. I believe there are a lot of cultural values that us Indonesians can relate to.

End of Rapid Fire Questions section.

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Do you have any suggestion for performing arts communities looking to cope with the pandemic?

Aldafi: Changes might be scary, but sometimes we need to change to get better or in this case, to survive. Instead of reminiscing about the past or worrying about the future let's focus on the present.

Art can survive if we are willing to adapt. At the moment, we might not be able to open the curtain at the theatre but maybe we can open the curtain somewhere else. The pandemics is an unfortunate event that affects not just artists but also everyone else. However, maybe there are silver linings behind it. With everything going online and digital, the arts have been getting wider engagement and exposure more than ever.

Putri: Well first, prioritise health and safety - that includes both mental and physical in this challenging time, especially because performing arts is highly collaborative in nature. I admire those who have been doing works for a cause, or any work in any way they can. Artists have been historically known to be able to bend and break with the challenges of time yet still create work as an act of service to something bigger than themselves. So keep doing what you do, and support each other while at it.

Finally, what would you like to say to Indonesian performing arts creators and fans?

Aldafi: Keep being you, cause everyone is unique in their own way! Hence, stop competing against each other and start supporting each other #ArtistsSupportArtists and... never stop learning because art is a lifelong journey

Putri: Keep finding your ways to do what you do amidst the limitations. This is something that I'm learning myself too in this time: whether you work silently or loudly, you don't have to wait for something to happen to create and practice your craft. Also support your fellow artists, I don't know how I would end up without the support of mine.

Adinda: The more art there is in the world, the more understanding there is. More opportunities for people to see themselves and other people from new angles. Art is a bridge that leads to other people, including yourself. Therefore, when you turn to art, you return.

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To learn more, you can follow ASKARA at @askaraproductions on Instagram.

Photo credits: ASKARA.

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