JAKARTA – Indonesia achieves a new milestone in the international performing arts world this year. Two Indonesian theater productions will perform at the 54th International Theater Festival of the Venice Biennale. This festival runs from June 7 to June 21, 2026. Bumi Purnati Indonesia, an independent producer, brings these cultural shows to Italy. This event marks the very first time Indonesian theater joins this prestigious global festival.

The Artistic Director of Bumi Purnati Indonesia, Restu Imansari Kusumaningrum, shared the exciting news during a press conference in Jakarta. She explained that the Venice Biennale usually focuses on fine arts for its 150-year history. However, the theater festival is now 50 years old and curates the best productions from around the world. Consequently, the organizers received over 610 proposals this year. They submitted their proposal only 24 hours before the deadline. Fortunately, the curators contacted them two days later to confirm their selection.

The festival follows the theme Alter-Native for the 2026 edition. Because of this theme, the curators specifically looked for authentic native roots. Restu originally proposed other works, but the curators chose two specific titles. They selected Under The Volcano and The Tale of Boat because these plays represent Malay culture perfectly. As a result, 20 talented artists from West Sumatra, Surabaya, Aceh, and Makassar will travel to Venice to perform.

The festival hosts 200 artists and 55 different events, including many world premieres. Audiences can watch Under The Volcano at the Teatro alle Tese, Arsenale, on June 16 and 17. Following that, The Tale of Boat will take the same stage on June 18 and 19. Under The Volcano previously gained success during its world premiere in China and at Borobudur Temple. Now, these stories will reach a diverse European audience for the first time.

The Director of the Italian Cultural Institute (IIC) Jakarta, Michele Cavallaro, welcomes this participation warmly. He believes that showcasing Indonesian heritage on a global stage is very important. Therefore, the Italian government supports these local traditional arts in Venice. He also hopes to develop more collaborative projects in Indonesia in the future. Indonesia joins other famous performers from Greece, Japan, India, and Rwanda in this grand celebration of world theater.

_{As reported by Tia Agnes Astuti of detik.com / Photo doc. Bumi Purnati Indonesia}