Matthew Isaac Cohen is senior lecturer in Drama and Theatre Studies at Royal Holloway, University of London. His articles on Southeast Asian performance have appeared in New Theatre Quarterly, Asian Theatre Journal, Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, and Archipel. As a practicing shadow puppeteer, he has performed in the United States, Europe, and Asia.
Listed in: Colonialism and Decolonization · Asian Studies · Southeast Asian Studies · Anthropology · Gender Studies · Theater - History and Criticism · Bali · History · World and Comparative History · Asian History · Women’s Studies · Literature
The Komedie Stamboel
Popular Theater in Colonial Indonesia, 1891–1903
By Matthew Isaac Cohen
Originating in 1891 in the port city of Surabaya, the Komedie Stamboel, or Istanbul-style theater, toured colonial Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia by rail and steamship. The company performed musical versions of the Arabian Nights and European fairy tales and operas such as Sleeping Beauty and Aida, as well as Indian and Persian romances, Southeast Asian chronicles, true crime stories, and political allegories.
