Play-Writing Under the Japanese Occupation

Abstract

The number of plays, both short and long, which were written during this period is indeed remarkable. Apparently after the primarily historical dramas of the twenties and thirties, interest in a more modern and contemporary Indonesian drama had grown; perhaps dramatic art offered a way of expression which was not too much interfered with by Japanese censorship as well as an escape from the difficulties of daily life for the masses. A number of theatrical companies, professional as well as amateur, came into being. The most important of them was Maya, some details of which have been given by Jassin.⁶Obviously not everything that was staged has been printed, and my knowledge of drama is of necessity restricted to what later appeared in print. Even so, it is possible to give some idea of this flourishing branch of literature during the period under discussion.