Jabang Tetuko

I spent the majority of 2011 in Jakarta, Indonesia working on an incredible project unlike any that I have ever been a part of.

Jabang Tetuko, an interactive mixed-media production designed to revive national and international interest in traditional Indonesian Javanese wayang stories, is an immersive cultural experience—a dynamic and spectacular live attraction—where audiences sit right in the middle of a theatrical entertainment form that combines film, live stage performance, and original orchestral and traditional music, all happening simultaneously and interactively.

Unlike conventional theater seating concepts where the audience experiences a production by facing the stage or screen, Jabang Tetuko featured three stages and three giant wall-sized screens which surrounded the audience and folded them into the action, creating a unique, never-before-seen experience. Using modern narrative styles, original music (live orchestra, percussion ensemble, and a traditional Indonesian choir), cinematic wirework stunt sequences, and cutting-edge costume and production design, the show was designed to reconnect audiences to classic wayang tales in a style that suits the contemporary entertainment appetite.

Press Junket Interview: "Jabang Tetuko" Finale Performance

If you cannot see the video below, please click here.

In the midst of all of this, spending almost half a year in an entirely new and exotic culture, far from what I knew as my own, was live-giving for me and provided a new perspective on the world that I very desperately needed. I discovered a place that has become my "island away from home" and now occupies a very important place in my heart. During the little slivers of downtime between shows, I travelled to other countries in the southeast Asian region, and each one is truly unique and special in its own right. What's most exciting is that through the whole experience I met hundreds of new friends, many of whom I now consider family. Jabang Tetuko was more than just another project for me—it was a game-changing life event in every sense.

Check out this little behind-the-scenes documentary that my team put together. It will give you a very colorful idea of just how truly remarkable this experience has been for all of us.

The Making of the Music for "Jabang Tetuko" (documentary)

If you cannot see the video below, please click here.