Previous Work

Crossing Over

2009-03-13T08:56:00.000-07:00

“If loving you means that I have to endure endless pain and death, then I will gladly open my heart and accept it, for I know that it will bring you, happiness.”

Is death the end of everything? What if you have the chance to stay…? Have you ever

wondered where you’ll end up? In heaven or hell? Will you even make it there?

Crossing Over, A Musical performance based on the script written by Bran Vargas. Inspired by My Chemical Romance’s album “The Black Parade” .

A story of David, a man who died of Bone cancer, who cannot accept his death, and separated from his beloved fiance, Margaret. He’s lead by the grim reaper to Limbo, the place

where all the souls gathered before crossing over to heaven or hell.

At limbo, he meets Nicole a playful but wicked ghost and Christina, who has a crush on him.

Nicole teaches David how to deny his destiny by crossing over again to the world of the living, through the gate of Limbo, and David meets his fiancé again. Christina tries to warn David to forget Margaret, like Margaret who has moved on. Margaret then gets closer with James,David’s best friend. David becomes furious and the conflict becomes more serious when Nicole gives David the idea to killing Margaret...

David, desperate and sad, decides to wallow in self pity when all of a sudden, Margaret’s soul crosses over to limbo.

Did David kill her? Or is it fate that brought them together again? When will David be ready to cross over to either Heaven or Hell?

This is a brief synopsis of Crossing Over - a script written by me, performed by the class of MC 10-12B. It featured songs by My Chemical Romance giving it the rock Gothic edge it needed.

Mentored by: Bran Vargas

The cast: Teguh Yassa, Annisa Faticha, Nurrul Indria Putri, Ratih Devy Parmatasari, Aprinta, Tenry Tata

Directed by: Agnes Permata

Produced by: Ziske Taufik Chang

Awarded: Best Production Design, Best Supporting Actress, Best Production

Moulin Rouge

2009-03-13T07:48:00.000-07:00

"The greatest thing you will ever learn is just to love and be loved in return."

The year is 1900 and Christian, a grizzled, unkempt British writer who came to the village of Montmartre, Paris at the height of the Bohemian movement a year before, sits in a garret overlooking the closed-down theatre Moulin Rouge and writing on a typewriter. The story he is writing is about both himself and the woman he loved, Satine, who is now dead.

In 1899, Christian arrives in Paris a naive and idealistic writer, and falls in with a group of Bohemians who frequent the Moulin Rouge. They are attempting to produce a theatrical production, "Spectacular Spectacular", which the Moulin Rouge's master Harold Zidler plans to put on at the cabaret. The Bohemians, chiefly Toulouse-Lautrec among them, are impressed with Christian's gift with words and insist that he write "Spectacular Spectacular." They come up with an elaborate plan of presenting Christian to Satine, a beautiful courtesan, in the hopes that she will be impressed with him and persuade Zidler to hire him as the play's writer. Satine understands the mercenary nature of her work, though she dreams of leaving the Moulin Rouge to become a real actress. Incorrectly thinking that Christian is the wealthy and powerful Duke who will invest in "Spectacular Spectacular," she is charmed by Christian's poetry. She declares that she has fallen in love with him, but is shocked to realize he's actually a penniless Bohemian poet.

Soon after, the real Duke arrives and finds Christian and Satine together. Christian's quick wit and Satine's charm fool the Duke into believing that they were rehearsing.

Christian and Satine fall in love, while Zidler struggles to keep the Duke interested in the show even though Satine has not yet spent the night with him. Zidler also discovers that Satine is dying of consumption, but does not tell anyone because "The show must go on." Meanwhile, Christian continues to develop the play, in which the courtesan and the penniless sitar player end up together. The Duke, however, does not appreciate the ending and tells the cast that the courtesan must end up in the arms of the maharaja. To convince him to change his mind, Satine finally agrees to spend the night with the Duke. Christian is overcome with jealousy while Satine has dinner with the Duke, who offers her everything she has dreamt of. But when the Duke realizes that Satine would never love him, he tries to take Satine by force. After she escapes, Satine and Christian plan to run away.

By now, the Duke has realized Satine's cuckoldry, and informs Zidler that, if the "maharaja" does not get his "courtesan," he will have the "penniless sitar player" killed. Nonetheless, Zidler must inform Satine of her terminal condition before she agrees to give up on the escape plan. She goes to Christian and lies to him, convincing him that her love was an act in the hopes that this will inspire him to leave Paris and therefore save his life.

As the show debuts, Satine perform wearily, knowing that her time is almost up. Christian, unwilling to give up on her, confronts her backstage. When she tries to drive him off again, he takes the place of the show's hero, throwing money at her feet to "pay his whore," and storming off the stage. Satine confesses her love for him in the form of his secret song, and Christian and Satine reconcile in full view of the audience and the Duke. The Duke attempts to shoot Christian, but Zidler drives him off. The audience applauds what they perceived as a good drama, but backstage, Satine is overcome by her illness and dies in Christian's arms. As her final wish, she asks Christian to tell their story.

A year later, still in his garret overlooking the now-deserted red windmill, Christian finally types the last page of his work, ending it with the couplet, "The greatest thing you will ever learn is just to love and be loved in return."

This is a synopsis to Baz Lurman's Moulin Rouge. An Oscar nominated film that rocked the box offices.

I was fortunate enough to direct the stage version of Moulin Rouge alongside Evelinn Kurniadi & Eko Wardoyo for LSPR Teatro. It ran for four days last February 2008 and attracted the media and celebrities alike. Overall, it was a succesful performance considering the difficulties we've gone through (venue, budget, sponsors, etc.).

The cast: Richard Victory, Ajeng Woelandari, Ria Birowo, James Hartono, Jay Arief Rahman, Febrian, Nicky, Putri Sekar Meutiasari, La Saras Gusti, Billy Krisna, Quincy Putri.

Directed by: Bran Sawamoto Vargas, Eko Wardoyo & Evelinn Kurniadi

Produced by: Utty Atika Putri

John Dryden's All For Love

2009-03-13T07:12:00.000-07:00

…IF FOREVER IS NOT ENOUGH FOR ME TO LOVE YOU

…THEN I’LL SPEND ANOTHER LIFETIME…

Words uttered with so much angst and so much love. A love that so great that it lived even after death.

This was the story of the love of Anthony and Cleopatra.

Both belonged to two different empires. One was a Roman and the other the Queen of the Nile. Both are powerful, commands adoration and respect, both conquering and expanding their own empires until the time they’ve set eyes on each other. Anthony captured Cleopatra’s heart and Anthony’s whole being was entrapped in Cleopatra’s beauty, yet both not wanting to be free.

The plot thickens with treachery and deceit, and then their lives are tossed by their tumultuous love for each other, laced with pain and brokenness.

Anthony was torn between his insurmountable love for Cleopatra his mistress and his duty and pity to his wife and daughters- of which he chose the latter because by nature he is an honorable man. To leave Cleopatra is now irrevocable but he could not find it in his heart to hurt her. He knew he wasn’t strong to see Cleopatra’s tears. He then asked his best friend Dolabella to give Cleopatra his decision to leave and hopefully ease her pain.

Yet as fate turns, news has reached Anthony that Cleopatra has indeed found solace in his friend’s arms. This news hurt and enraged him. His anger hurt Octavia, his wife-prompting her to leave him.

Anthony then confronts the two people he loved and in his anger banished them. Dolabella, he banished to a faraway land and Cleopatra from his heart. Or so he thought. Because of his anger, he fought and captured Egypt for Rome. It was at this moment that he was told that Cleopatra has taken her own life because she could not bear the accusations Anthony has hurled at her.

With Cleopatra gone, .everything suddenly lost its meaning-even his very own existence…so Anthony took his life away.

Cleopatra, seeing Anthony dying, his life slipping away, decided to follow him in death.

Once again, love triumphed over death.

This is the synopsis of John Dryden's All for Love which was rewritten, played, directed and produced by me. It was a prerequisite performance for our Performance of Dramatic Literature subject and I headed the class of MC9-9B to victory garnering a total of 6 awards which is a record for past and even present LSPR Theatre Festivals.

The cast: Bran Sawamoto Vargas, Natasha Ruvantina, Nyvillia Stephanie, Rahmat Rianto, Jordan Ted, Meilisa Leonata, Florence Nathania, Putra, Yudhi Prayogo and the whole class of MC 9-9B.

Awarded: Best Production Design, Best Costume & Make - Up, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Actor & Best Production