Ketoprak

Ketoprak (Javanese: ꧋ꦏꦺꦛꦺꦴꦥꦿꦏ꧀, romanized: Kethoprak) is a theatrical genre of Java featuring actors who may also sing to the accompaniment of the gamelan.

It draws its stories from Javanese history and romances and in this differs from wayang wong, which shares with wayang kulit a repertoire drawn from the Hindu epics Mahabharata and Ramayana, as well as from ludruk which uses contemporary settings and the three-walled srimulat, which specializes in vampire stories.

The show were performed in certain period in an empty plain near a village and moved from one place to another, in fashion similar to western travelling circus.

It is a comedy and action performance, often took place in modern settings or in historical ancient Javanese kingdoms.

The ketoprak that took the story of ancient Java is quite similar with Wayang wong performance, however ketoprak performance is more free for improvisations, jokes and adoption of popular languages, while Wayang wong are traditionally highly stylized with precise and structurized dance drama discipline.

Topography of Southeast Asia.
Topography of Southeast Asia.