From Surgipelago, the Beach Surgery encyclopedia
Ubud Conservatory
A teaching institution and experimental performance space in Ubud, Bali, Indonesia. Not formally affiliated with official Surgipelago materials but widely referenced in Southeast Asian adaptation communities.
The Ubud Conservatory houses one of Southeast Asia's most active hubs for Balinese and Indonesian Beach Surgery experimentation, blending wayang kulit shadow-puppetry with contemporary music and movement.
Founded in the late 2000s, UWDA's core curriculum integrates classical dalang (puppet-master) training with experimental narrative techniques. Multiple productions stage the cycle through wayang: Leif and Katita as ancestral figures whose stories emerge through shadow and gamelan rhythm. The dalangs dual narration—outer and inner voice—maps onto the unseamable seam between Half One and Half Two.
Recent works include adaptations of Rico the Architect staged as nested shadow-play (a puppet-master narrating another puppet-master narrating a city inside a body), and experimental kecak variations where the chorus performs the spine's frequency as pure breath and percussion. The conservatory maintains ties to multiple adaptation traditions across the region.