Jam Karet | Time is Elastic

Jam Karet | Time is Elastic is a compelling performance about loss, memory, and resilience. It tells the story of a woman growing up between cultures, confronting old wounds that resurface, and finding solace in recognition. On her last night in a psychiatric clinic, Varo is ensnared by her memory loss and fear of the outside world. Her only anchor are fleeting memories: a song her father always sang and the recollection of an endless garden. As the final hours of her stay tick away, Varo dives deeper into her memory – unearthing moments that perhaps are better left forgotten. Who do you become when you can reinvent yourself? Actress Kyra Bououargane and dancer Romee van de Meent bring Varo’s inner world to life, a place rich with dark humor, fantasy, and suspended time. RUBBER TIME The title Jam Karet is an Indonesian term that refers to the elasticity of time – the moment when everything seems to stand still. The performance invites the audience to feel what happens when time no longer moves forward. ABOUT THE CREATOR With Jam Karet | Time is Elastic, Melissa Knollenburg makes her directorial debut as a new regular creator at MATZER Theater Productions. Melissa's work exposes how a young generation of bicultural Dutch people relates to their past. Her characters seek connection and ways to root themselves in a divided society. Dance plays a significant role in her work. “I learned as a child that daydreaming was a way to escape collisions. I was not Dutch enough, but also not Indonesian enough to belong to either culture. I thought I would always fall in between, but now I understand that I actually have a third culture – one that stands between my parent cultures. In that third culture, I found my imagination.” | Melissa Knollenburg