Monday, May 29, 2023, Universitas Negeri Semarang (UNNES), located at the Prof. Auditorium Wuryanto held a ketoprak performance in collaboration with UNNES leadership, which was successfully carried out with great fanfare in the framework of UNNES’s 58th anniversary. This ketoprak performance takes on the play “Kembang Cempaka Mulya”.
This collaborative puppet features UNNES leaders, including Dr. Sugianto, Secretary of UNNES, who was lined up to become Ki Prana Jati. He will play the role of the leader of the Segawe hermitage. He chose three of his students named Sudibyo (played by Dr. Ir Sucipto, Head of the UNNES Senate), Wirogo (played by Dr. Wirawan Sumbodo, Dean of the Faculty of Engineering), and Legowo (played by Dr. Eddy Purwanto, Dean of the Faculty of Education and Psychology).
Ki Prana will propose an important contest to test the power of his students: to bring home Kembang Cempaka Mulya, whose whereabouts are unknown. Ki Prana only gave one piece of information: that the flower is on the slopes of Mount Lawu. Syahdan, without the need to linger, immediately split up to find the object that was meant by Ki Prana.
Apart from these figures, there are also others who are no less important in this game. For example, as many as 10 teachers and other figures will be played by four vice chancellors, the dean, the director of the postgraduate school, and the head of the institution. During several rehearsals for the preparation of the performance, a cheerful and warm atmosphere was created. It is certain that the ketoprak dialogue on Monday night will also be mixed with Gerans, aka full of entertaining jokes.
This ketoprak performance is the result of a collaboration between UNNES and Bakar Production. A number of players from the community in Solo will also take part to make the scene even more lively. Likewise with the performance accompaniment, which is a combination of UNNES lecturers and students with the Bakar Production Solo team.
UNNES Chancellor Prof. Dr. S. Martono stated that this performance was a form of appreciation for traditional arts. Even though it is not an art college, UNNES is one of those known for having an academic community that has made the name of the institution proud on the national and international levels through art. The spirit of developing the arts is one of the missions within the UNNES conservation pillars. Unfortunately, the Chancellor failed to appear because it coincided with an event he had to attend in Yogyakarta. His role as Ki Prana Jati has been replaced by Dr. Sugianto. “Even though I was very excited. However, there are tasks from the Ministry that cannot be abandoned,” he said during the training session on Sunday, May 28, 2023.
