In the island of Bali (Indonesia), aesthetics and devotion intertwine with surprising harmony: theatre, music and dance are the very core of social and religious life. The ancient and popular representations of Topeng is an integral part of the ceremonial liturgy. Its masks celebrate, between myth and history, the deeds of the ancient courts, entertaining the Gods and the people thanks to references to the current events and impromptu jokes of grotesque and fool-like characters.
Sidha Karya's story deals with a conflict that is still relevant today: the relationship with the stranger, the unknown. Brahmana Sangkya noble and elderly priest, in poor clothes, returns from Java, to attend an important ceremony presided over by King Watu Renggong (16th century, the Balinese golden age). Mistaken for a beggar, he is meanly driven out. Immediately misfortune strikes the country: disasters, disease, violence. The king, having to find, according to his role, the cause of the ailment, remembers the episode and sends for the beaten old man, who turns out to be his spiritual brother, son of that Brahman who helped his father to ascend the throne. The "recognized foreigner", after accepting the apology, restores harmony fulfilling the previous interrupted ceremony by throwing rice grains of different colors in the four directions.
From then on, his appearance, deified with the name of Sidha Karya (the one who can do the work) will be necessary to conclude each ceremonial Topeng. His mask, with large protruding teeth and long nails, is feared and at the same time expected by children: the one who is grabbed will have candies or coins as a gift. At the same time, his vigorous and disordered dance captures the attention of demons, thus allowing the high priest - in the Balinese temple working nearby - to conclude his ritual for the sanctification of water undisturbed.
In 2002 in the aftermath of the devastating terrorist attack in the disco of Kuta, a ceremonial play was conceived and created, as an exorcism / response to the massacre, which made the teaching of ancient history its own: The other is our brother. We need to acknowledge and understand what happens and positively incorporate what appears destructive.
Global warming, the effect of ongoing climate change, is offering us the opportunity to reflect on our lifestyle, which is incompatible with the ecosystem and our health. Just as in Bali the ancient stories of Topeng integrate references to current events, so in our show chamberlains and buffoons burst into the climate emergency with unscrupulous irony.