Based on the award winning short story by Indian writer Mahasweta Devi, called Draupadi, a new play in Los Angeles explores military oppression of low caste Indian farmers and their resistance. The performance, entitled Encounter, is a combination of dance, song, and acrobatics by the Navarasa Dance Theater in collaboration with East West Players. Written, directed, and choreographed by Aparna Sindhoor, Encounter is centered on an indigenous woman named Dopdi Mehjen, played by Aparna Sindhoor, and her husband Dulna Majhi, who entertain their fellow farmers in an Indian village, with guerilla theater-type performances. The couple is targeted by government military forces for inspiring the local farmers’ resistance. What follows is a powerful series of events that culminate in a dramatic and unexpected climax. The struggle of low-caste farmers in contemporary India for rights to land, food, and water, is a very real one, and Encounter brings to life a typical story of the clash between ordinary people and the state.

Uprising host Sonali Kolhatkar interviewed Aparna Sindhoor, writer, director, and choreographer of Encounter, who also plays Dopdi Mehjen in Encounter. Sindhoor is also artistic director of Navarasa Dance Theater.

Watch a video of the interview here:

Performances of ENCOUNTER are happening Wednesday through Sunday and will be staged at the David Henry Hwang Theater at the Union Center for the Arts at 120 Judge John Aiso St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. ENCOUNTER is playing now and closes on Sunday, October 7, 2012.

General Admission Tickets range from $26 – $36. Preview tickets are $20 for all seats. Please call theatre for opening night ticket availability and special event pricing.

For ticket purchases or more information, call East West Players at (213) 625-7000 or visit www.eastwestplayers.org. Senior, student and group discounts are available. Dates, prices, and details are subject to change.