Review: The Harrowing Autopsy of the ‘98 Tragedy in PLUNGE by Teater Tetas

On August 5, 2025, Teater Tetas performed Plunge: Catatan Kelam Sembilan Delapan (Plunge: An Account of the Ninety Eight Tragedy) at Graha Bhakti Budaya. This multinational production also marks the opening of Djakarta International Theater Platform, an annual theater festival.

Plunge was written by Singaporean playwright Jean Tay and directed by Indonesian director Harris Syaus. The script was translated into Indonesian by Muhammad Abe as part of the Asia Playwrights Meeting 2019 program.

Based on the 1998 riots, Plunge tells the story of a nation descending into chaos and violence. Starting from the worsening economic conditions that hit the Asian markets in the year prior, the descent into chaos is narrated by the prim-and-proper Singaporean news anchor Isabel Lim (Elzan Aziz). Each news item is accompanied by the appropriate visuals projected onto the huge central screen on stage, standing in for television as the dominant form of mass media of the time. A live camera is directed at her, catching every detail of her expression.

As the South East Asian populace is becoming increasingly gripped by uncertainty and confusion, so does the stage; three male ensemble members (Amagerald, Afridho Azizi, and Jonathan Simorangkir) stand in as the common people – sometimes jeering, sometimes frenzied, even lecherous towards the news anchor.

On stage right, Isabel Lim tries to stay composed as she reports on the civil unrest. Opposite her on stage left, a young female activist of Chinese-Indonesian descent named Ina (Brigitta Cynthia) is arguing against her unseen parents that she wants to join the protest against corruption alongside the people, despite the growing danger.

Eventually, and inevitably, the unrest erupts into full-on rioting. The stage turns hellish, with footage of fire, looting, and violence being overlaid with Isabel’s desperate attempt to keep reporting on the news and staying neutral. She, too, eventually fell victim to the madness on stage. She writhes and convulses on the table, her legs in the air, evoking a specific type of violent imagery. The screen glitches into haunting visuals.

The show ends, leaving the audience only with an eerie silence and a wrecked stage.

Plunge is an eclectic yet very intentional piece of theater. It seeks to portray the various factors influencing the 1998 riots – ranging from economic, political, societal, to racial – as well as the horrifying aftermath affecting the people.

Just like how those disparate yet interconnected factors led to the tragedy that left unspeakable violence and death in its wake, Plunge also utilizes various theatrical tools, interweaving them into a fascinating, living tapestry on stage.

First and foremost is the staging itself. The way the stage elements are placed and blocked makes the staging a character of its own. On stage center, there is a large screen on which various videos are projected onto: historical footage, news program bumper, live camera feed, and original videos. They are used not only to convey information, but to imprint mood and atmosphere. While they are played straight at first, the videos too plunged into madness with glitches and hellish visuals alongside the action on stage.

Above the main screen, there is a strip of projection that displays English subtitles for the international viewers in the audience, providing a much-needed accessibility feature, even though some scenes are still left without subtitles.

To the left is the domain of Isabel Lim, with a simple desk and chair evocative of news studios. In front of her is a TV camera, endlessly capturing her likeness. One of the show’s most potent moments is when Isabel is shown futilely trying to report on the rioting with a professional tone – out of duty and contractual obligation – while fires and riots rampage around her.

Next, in front of the central main screen, lies the play area of the three ensemble actors. They play around with various props and well-planned gestures, becoming everything from concerned citizens to crazed looters. They are very effective in their roles in portraying the nation’s state..

And to the right is where Ina stands, representing the youth. While she wants to take to the streets, her parents – correctly – points out that the risk is great. By the end, we see that many of these young activists never made it home, dying for what they believed in.

Throughout the show, these elements interact, changing one another. The storytelling focuses on evoking emotions rather than a clear story line – a risky approach that worked surprisingly well, due a sharp directorial vision by Harris Syaus that worked well with Jean Tay’s nuanced script. The actors also pulled their weight, putting in tremendous and memorable acting performances.

After all, simply trying to untangle the complex web that led to the tragedy would be a moot effort for a short theatrical play; by rather focusing on the human factor with only glimpses of the root causes, Plunge delivered a much-needed gut-punch. Even people who weren’t familiar with the ‘98 tragedy yet would be touched, intrigued, and enraged by Plunge.

The show also felt eerily prophetic. In September of 2025, massive riots broke out in major cities across Indonesia, protesting lavish benefits for parliament members during a period of economic downturn. Several people lost their lives and many compared it to the 1998 riots. Thankfully, there was considerably less racial tension and violence.

The September riots highlighted the importance of unabashedly political theatrical pieces like Plunge. It served as an essay and a cautionary tale both. Although Isabel and Ina are fictional figures, their stories are still unfortunately relevant. By platforming their voices, Teater Tetas plays their part in making us, hopefully,  wiser.

Photo credits:

Source: Internal documentation of Teater Tetas

Photos by: @damboanggara