Reanimating History through Body, Sign, and Texture: Integrating Phenomenology, Semiotics, and Dramaturgy in Public Interest in the Play Mereka yang Menunggu di Banda Naira

Abstract

Amidst growing public interest in historical narratives in performing arts, a trend reinforced by the need to recontextualize collective memory in the digital age, a key question arises: how can theater performances bring history back to life and make it relevant to today's audiences? This article answers that question through an analysis of the play Mereka yang Menunggu di Banda Naira by director Wawan Sofwan, utilizing three main theoretical frameworks: Sobchack's visual media phenomenology, which emphasizes the embodied experience of the audience; Pavis's theater semiotics, which describes the network of stage signs; and Lehmann's post-dramatic dramaturgy, which highlights affective texture and non-narrative aesthetics. This research uses a qualitative approach with performance analysis, documentation studies, and structured surveys of the audience. The results show that the performance successfully reactivated historical experiences through the interaction between archival visuals, the actors' performativity, and the affective dramaturgical atmosphere. The main findings reveal that history is not only communicated as information but also presented as an embodied experience that triggers empathy, clarifies the socio-political context, and deepens the younger generation's understanding of national movement figures. This article offers new insights into the aesthetic strategies of contemporary historical theater, particularly how the integration of body, sign, and texture can be an effective model for revitalizing collective memory in the performance space. These findings are important for the development of historical dramaturgy, cultural education, and theater production that is responsive to the need for national memory reconstruction in the digital age.