English Department of Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic University invited a guest lecturer inDramaturgyandFilm and Media StudiesCourses. This event took place in Theatrical Room of Language Development Center of State Islamic University of Sunan Kalijaga Yogyakarta on Friday, April 5th, 2019. The guest lecturer of this event was Gunawan Maryanto, an actor, author, and a famous film director in Indonesia. He played as Widji Tukhul (a writer and activist who disappeared in New Order Regime) ina film titled Istirahatlah Kata-Kata. By his role in this film, he won the award as The Best Main Character in Usmar Ismail Award.

On this occasion, Gunawan explained the challenges and things that actors need to know in playing a character. The biggest challenge that the actors face, he mentioned, is mimesis. In imitating or mimesis, there are three things we should know.

First is physiological mimesis. By this, an actor has to learn about the gestures that he/she will be played, such as how the character walks, the way he sits, and body gestures. The second is the sociological mimesis. An actor can recognize how the relationship pattern with the other characters around him, such as to his family, partner, and friends. Third is psychological mimesis. This is the hardest challenge for an actor because psychology is invisible, so they need to know the nature of characters deeper. The last thing that an actor needs is a device. In acting, a device is the part of the body and the inspiration in portraying a play, such as body and feeling.