During my childhood, watching the folk stage from the Sinar Jeumpa group and Sinar Harapan was one of my favorites. The joy of local theatre art is not built from below, not because I like art, but because they happen to hold a show at Cot Gapu Stadium, the village where I grew up. I can watch it for free because it's still small and comes from Cot Gapu too. At that time, young children often boarded by holding adult hands, as if they were children or part of the adult's family.
The program on the stage is divided into several parts. Not only just stories but also songs, dances by transsexuals, comedians, there is also a period of rest even though later it is not a mandatory menu. Our favorite shows are comedies with famous comedian actors like Cek Bi, Si Rajab, Lelek, and Si Tambi. The program that we hate is dance, even when there was someone who pelted corncobs or peanut shells on the stage. We often commented on the makeup of the dancers who at that time we did not realize that they were transvestites.
Usually, the stage starts with the appearance of singers like Cut Rosmawar which are among the favorite artists. Other stage artists I still remember were Ibnu Arhas, Umar Abdi, Cut Maruhoy, and Tgk Ahmad Namploh who later went into politics (if wrong, please corrected). After several songs passed, the screen went down and the stage was arranged as needed. "In the first scene, in the tomb ...!" The narrator described the storyline and led the audience's imagination scene by scene and round by round.
When it is mentioned in the tomb, the atmosphere feels tense. There is a ghostly sound, a dark stage, and is really similar to the atmosphere at the cemetery. I don't like horror stories like this from the past until now. Previously because of fear of ghosts, now when not afraid, also do not like horror movies.
My favorite story about love and comedy. One of the stories that I still remember and then inspired to write short stories is about Buluh Perindu. This is the story of a poor young man named Hamid who fell in love with the village flower named Hasnah, but Hasnah's parents refused to even insult Hamid because of his poverty.
About the short story, can be read in the post here.
Sinar Jeumpa and Sinar Harapan theater groups not only held a performance at Cot Gapu Stadium. Both groups also appeared in several cities in Aceh, but I only watched in Cot Gapu. Folk art like that is now extinct, there is no successor. Unfortunately, there is no visual documentation. My bestfriend in Bireuen (Aceh), Dewa, might need to write about this theater group.[]
Memori Sandiwara Rakyat: Sinar Jeumpa dan Sinar Harapan
Semasa kecil, menonton panggung sandiwara rakyat dari grup Sinar Jeumpa dan Sinar Harapan merupakan salah satu kegemaran saya. Rasa senang terhadap seni panggung lokal itu bukan terbangun dari bawah, bukan karena saya menyukai seni, melainkan karena kebetulan mereka menggelar pertunjukan di Stadion Cot Gapu, kampung tempat saya dibesarkan. Saya bisa menonton dengan gratis karena masih kecil dan berasal dari Cot Gapu pula. Pada masa itu, anak kecil sering menumpang masuk dengan menggandeng tangan orang dewasa, seolah mereka anak atau bagian dari keluarga orang dewasa tersebut.
Acara di atas panggung sandiwara terbagi dalam beberapa bagian. Bukan semata hanya cerita saja, tetapi juga ada nyanyian, tarian oleh para waria, lawak, juga ada masa istirahat meski belakangan bukan menjadi menu wajib. Acara favorit kami adalah lawak dengan aktor pelawak yang terkenal seperti Cek Bi, Si Rajab, Lelek, dan Si Tambi. Acara yang kami benci adalah tarian, bahkan dulunya sampai ada yang melempari jonggol jagung atau kulit kacang ke panggung. Kami sering mengomentari dandanan menor para penari yang waktu itu belum kami sadari bahwa mereka waria.
Biasanya, panggung dimulai dengan penampilan penyanyi seperti Cut Rosmawar yang termasuk artis favorit. Seniman panggung lainnya yang masih saya ingat adalah Ibnu Arhas, Umar Abdi, Cut Maruhoy, dan Tgk Ahmad Namploh yang belakangan terjun ke dunia politik (jika salah, mohon dikoreksi). Setelah beberapa lagu berlalu, layar turun dan panggung ditata sesuai kebutuhan. “Pada babak adegan yang pertama, di pusara…!” begitu narator menggambarkan jalan cerita dan menggiring imajinasi penonton adegan demi adegan dan babak demi babak.
Kalau sudah disebutkan di pusara, suasana terasa mencekam. Ada suara hantu, panggung gelap, dan benar-benar mirip dengan suasana di pemakaman. Saya kurang menyukai cerita horor seperti ini sejak dulu sampai sekarang. Dulu karena takut hantu, sekarang ketika tidak takut, juga tidak suka dengan film horor.
Kisah kesukaan saya tentang percintaan dan komedi. Salah satu cerita yang masih saya ingat dan kemudian terinspirasi menulis cerpen adalah tentang Buluh Perindu. Ini kisah tentang seorang pemuda miskin bernama Hamid yang jatuh cinta kepada kembang desa bernama Hasnah, tetapi orang tua Hasnah menolak bahkan menghina Hamid karena kemiskinannya.
Tentang cerpen itu, bisa dibaca pada postingan di sini.
Grup sandiwara Sinar Jeumpa dan Sinar Harapan tidak saja menggelar pertunjukan di Stadion Cot Gapu. Kedua grup itu juga tampil di beberapa kota di Aceh, tetapi saya hanya menonton di Cot Gapu saja. Kesenian rakyat seperti itu kini sudah punah, tidak ada penerusnya. Sayangnya, dokumentasi visual pun tidak ada. Sahabat saya di Bireuen, Dewa, barangkali perlu menulis tentang grup sandiwara ini.[]
