Dramatic Truths: The Symbology of the Reformation in Performance History

Abstract

This study examines how Tiga Drama, a theatrical work by Seno Gumira Ajidarma, represents historical reality through Peirce’s semiotic framework. It identifies and interprets the ways in which objective and imaginative realities are constructed through icons, indices, and symbols. Employing a qualitative descriptive, this study analyzes verbal and nonverbal signs found in the dramatic text, including dialogue, stage directions, characterization, dramatic situations, settings, and symbolic expressions associated with historical and sociopolitical representation. Data were collected through documentation, with the play script serving as the primary source and relevant books and journal articles as secondary sources. The identified signs were coded and classified according to Peirce’s categories of icon, index, and symbol, and were subsequently interpreted through qualitative semiotic analysis. Data analysis followed the interactive model of Miles et al. (2014), comprising data reduction, data display, interpretation of sign–object–interpretant relationships, and conclusion drawing. The findings indicate that objective reality is represented through concrete elements, such as television, the kebaya, and ludruk, whereas imaginative reality is conveyed through symbolic and emotional elements, including robot uniforms and red lighting. These findings demonstrate that the drama integrates factual and metaphorical dimensions to reconstruct collective trauma, resistance, and hope associated with the 1998 Reform era. The study contributes to the development of Indonesian literary semiotics and highlights the practical potential of drama as a medium for historical and social reflection. Nevertheless, the analysis is limited to textual aspects and does not examine performative elements. Future research should employ multimodal semiotic or comparative approaches to develop a broader understanding of historical representation in Indonesian drama.