THREE COMRADES

Chinese poet Li Po, conversing with the moon and his own shadow, wanders along the river of time, whose surface reflects his life during the glorious Tchang dynasty in the 8th century. The story of the legendary poet is interpreted in an unconventional way through the Indonesian shadow theater wayang kulit, accompanied by gamelan music – an orchestra of metallophones and other musical instruments of the ancient Orient. The poet's intimate world, set against the backdrop of dramatic social changes and the unique atmosphere of the imperial court, courtesan pavilions, and landscapes of mountains, lakes, and flying cranes, is portrayed through traditional and newly created wayang puppets, as well as magical effects of shadow projections of water, cut glass, mirrors, drawings, and found objects. The gamelan music features Li Po's original verses set to new songs.

The project involves students from the Academy of Performing Arts, members of the Wirama Galih gamelan orchestra at the Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Prague, and graduates of the Darmasiswa study program in Indonesia. The script was written by Petr Maděra, who was inspired by historical events and legends about the poet Li Po, his friends, and his predecessors.

Concept and music: Alžběta Trojanová
Script: Petr Maděra
Set design and shadow effects: Olga Fadli Pětivoká
Prepared and performed by: Jiří Spišák, Kanwar Šulc, Kateřina Hankeová, Olga Fadli Pětivoká, Alžběta Trojanová
Artistic director of the gamelan orchestra: Agus Prasetyo
Wirama Galih orchestra: Daniel Mikolášek, Martin Lauer, Matěj Diviš, Václav Kalivoda, Radek Vyhnal, M. Lucia E. Krisanto, Jan Kalivoda, Karolína Beránková, Dagmar Říhová, Daniel Koubek, Jocelyn Sengkey, Jakub Hřebíček, Cheng Te Chiang, Alžběta Trojanová
Project supervisor: Daniel Mikolášek
Premiere: November 13, 2025, Alfred ve dvoře, Prague
Collaboration: Alfred ve dvoře Theater, Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Prague, Wirama Galih Orchestra