Raising the theme of 'Artistic Body Aesthetics', the 15th Student Theater Festival presents a creative space for student performing arts.

The Djarum Theater Community is once again organizing the Student Theater Festival (FTP), a space for appreciation and development of theatrical creativity for students throughout Kudus Regency. This festival is a regular annual event initiated by the Djarum Theater Community with the support of the Djarum Foundation's Cultural Arts Program, in collaboration with the Kudus Regency Education, Youth, and Sports Office and the Kudus Regency Religious Affairs Office.

Entering its 15th year, this year's FTP carries the theme of Artistic Body Esthetics, featuring 42 student theater groups from junior high school or equivalent and senior high school or equivalent levels. This entire group of student theater performers has gone thru the preliminary rounds held from November 3rd to 15th, 2025. The judging process in the preliminary round was carried out by two teams of judges, divided by educational level: the junior high school level judging team and the senior high school level judging team, to ensure comprehensive and balanced scoring for all participants. The junior high school level judging panel consisted of Wijayanto Franciosa, Luna Kharisma, and Rudi Iteng, while the senior high school level judging panel included Yogi Swara Manitis Aji, Alfiyanto, and Idham Ardi Nurcahyo.

"The Student Theater Festival is a form of consistency and love from the younger generation for the performing arts of theater, which is also an important step for the future of the performing arts industry in Indonesia. The preservation and advancement of theater arts in Indonesia cannot be carried out without the dedication of stage artists and the regeneration of young people who have a love for the performing arts. FTP is not just a performance stage, but also a platform for students to develop themselves and inspire and increase the interest of other students to participate in self-development in the world of theater," said Renitasari Adrian, Program Director of Bakti Budaya Djarum Foundation.

Thru the theme of Artistic Body Esthetics, FTP XV invites participants to explore and interpret the body as the primary medium in theatrical performance, both as individual expression and as part of a team's collective work. This theme emphasizes the importance of awareness of movement, gesture, rhythm, and physical presence on stage as artistic elements that build meaning and harmony in a performance. Therefore, the training and mentoring process thru a series of workshops and coaching becomes an important part, so that participants can explore the body's potential in a more directed, in-depth, and contextual way in the process of creating theatrical works.

The process undertaken by the FTP participants this year demonstrates the growing courage of students in using their bodies as an important part of the performance. This theme is a collective invitation to rediscover and reinterpret the potential and esthetic values of each individual's existence and that of a theater team in creating a reflective harmony for a performance. Each member has a role, and it is precisely in togetherness that a group finds the completeness of its artistic form. "This is the learning process that we believe is important to drive the future growth of student theater quality," said Wijayanto Franciosa, Actor and Mentor of Djarum Theater.

Unlike previous years, the Djarum Foundation's Cultural Service, in collaboration with Titimangsa and Djarum Theater, also organized the Student Coach Workshop or Lokapijar, which is a mentoring program and a series of activities leading up to the 15th Student Theater Festival. The Lokapijar activities, held in April 2025, were designed to strengthen schools' readiness for the creative process and performance. Thru this series of trainings, a total of 114 schools were motivated to join as participants in Lokapijar, reflecting the increasingly widespread role of mentoring in expanding student participation in theater activities in Kudus Regency.

The 2025 Student Theater Festival is special because it not only provides a competitive space but also strengthens the learning and mentoring process for students, teachers, and coaches thru Lokapijar, which we are organizing together with Titimangsa and Teater Djarum. This mentorship is an important part of preparing students, teachers, and theater coaches to be able to develop more mature concepts of staging and directing. Thru this series of processes, we want FTP to go beyond just the performance results and also become a meaningful and sustainable learning experience for the younger generation," explained Renitasari.

This program is conducted in two coaching sessions. The first coaching session took place from September 8th to 12th, 2025, in Kudus, involving two teacher representatives from each school. A total of 10 coaches or facilitators guided the participants in preparing their respective school theater groups, particularly in developing performance concepts and directing aspects. Meanwhile, the second Coaching Session was held from October 6th to 8th, 2025, at each participating school in the Kudus Student Theater Festival 2025. The agenda was held over 3 days, with coaches accompanying two different schools at different times each day. In that agenda, there are three main items, namely showcase/runthrough, evaluation, and enrichment.

The preliminary round of the 15th Djarum Student Theater Festival in 2025 will take place over approximately two weeks, from November 3rd to 15th, 2025. At this stage, 25 junior high school or equivalent theater groups and 17 senior high school or equivalent theater groups performed works taken from one of five predetermined scripts: "Argumentasi Sisi" by Diky Soemarno, "Dan Bulan pun Tak Datang" by Idham Ardi Nurcahyo, "Dinding-dinding Binar" by Ego Heriyanto, "Dipaksa Dewasa" by Billy Yapananda Samudra, and "Titik atau Koma" by Noko Mores.

After a rigorous preliminary judging process, the judges agreed to select the best theater group to advance to the final round, which will be held from December 19th to 21st, 2025, at the Kaliputu - Djarum Arena 2 Sports Hall in Kudus, Central Java. This final round will also feature guest performances by Teater Lentera from Jepara and Titimangsa, who will collaborate with alumni from previous years of FTP, adding to the excitement of the event.

The first final nite, held on Friday, December 19th, featured:

• Bobot Theater - SMP 1 Kudus
• Sage Theater - SMA 1 Gebog
• Spero Theater - SMP 2 Kudus

The second final nite, held on Saturday, December 20th, featured:

• Patas Theater - SNA 1 Bae
• Lembah Manah Theater - Mts 1 Kudus A
• bong Theater - SMA 1 Bae
• Queen Bee Theater - Mts Mu'alimat NU

The third final nite took place on Sunday, December 21st, and featured:

• Dejavu Theater - SMK Tamansiswa
• Jasmine Theater - SMP 1 Jati

The participants' performances will be judged live by a panel of judges consisting of Iswadi Pratama, actor, director, and writer; Putri Ayudya, actress, model, presenter, and producer; M. Nur Cholis, writer, director, and actor; and Teguh Yasa, from the Djarum Foundation's Bakti Budaya team. These judges not only assess the results but also understand the process with experience, sensitivity, and keen insight, while celebrating the artistic work of every group that dares to take the stage.

These judges will evaluate the finalists who have successfully reached this final round and determine the winners of the group award categories to receive the title of Best Theater. There are also individual award categories, consisting of Best Director, Best Leading Actor, Best Leading Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Set and Property Designer, Best Lighting Designer, Best Makeup and Costume Designer, and Best Music Designer.

Each performance by the participants showcased not only technique but also the spirit, courage, and honesty they brought to the stage. The students weren't just role-playing; they were truly telling a story from the heart. This proves that the Student Theater Festival is not just a learning space, but a birthplace for future generations of artists who bring a fresh breath to the Indonesian performing arts world," said Iswadi Pratama.

Here is the list of winners of the FTP XV 2025 Junior High School Level:

Category	Winner's	Teater	School of Origin
Best Music Director	M. Ulul Azmi	Bobot	SMP 1 Kudus
Best Makeup & Costume Director	Sabila El Naja	Jasmine	SMP 1 Jati
Best Lighting Director	Andy Prasetyo	Bobot	SMP 1 Kudus
Best Set & Property Director	Radiski Pratama Wibowo	Lembah Manah	MTs 1 Kudus
Best Director	Sugiarto	Bobot	SMP 1 Kudus
Best Supporting Actress	Vida Amelia Viorenza	Spero	SMP 2 Kudus
Best Supporting Actor	Bagus Prasetya Nugraha	Bobot	SMP 1 Kudus
Best Leading Actress	Aqila Candrasmurti	Bobot	SMP 1 Kudus
Best Leading Actor	Gading Mas Madj Wirayubi	Bobot	SMP 1 Kudus
Favorite Theater	Teater Spero - SMP 2 Kudus
Best Theater	Teater Bobot - SMP 1 Kudus

Here is the list of winners for the FTP XV 2025 High School Level:

Category	Winner's	Teater	School of Origin
Best Music Director	Ethan Levi Tirta	Patas	SMA 1 Bae
Best Make Up & Costume Director	Muhammad Rafasya Yusuf	Dejavu	SMK Tamansiswa
Best Lighting Director	Farras Nararya Hady	Patas	SMA 1 Bae
Best Set & Property Director	Farras Abdurrasyad	Sage	SMA 1 Gebog
Best Director	Dian Novita Elly	Patas	SMA 1 Bae
Best Supporting Actress	Viona Yekholya Bernike	Patas	SMA 1 Bae
Best Supporting Actor	Muhammad Muhatir Roziqul Ilmi	Sage	SMA 1 Gebog
Best Leading Actress	Naeva Faiha Ariftawidya	Abong	SMA 2 Bae
Best Leading Actor	Muhammad Fathir Algifachri	Patas	SMA 1 Bae
Favorite Theater	Teater Patas - SMA 1 Bae
Best Theater	Teater Patas - SMA 1 Bae