BEFORE us, a performance is underway. Explosions of single syllables: ‘Grrr’, ‘Dor’, ‘Blong’, ‘Los’. Or two-syllables that startle and confuse: ‘Aduh’, ‘Anu’. Before us: Teater Mandiri on stage.

Teater Mandiri turned 40 this week—a difficult history, like almost all theater groups in Indonesia. It is part of Indonesian history that actually is important as part of the story of development or pem-bangun-an, which also co