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Forum of Progressive Artists (FOPA) |
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Sister Organizations - SAAAC - AFSDSA
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FOPA Theater The Incident and After Choreographer & Performer: Aparna Sindhoor Adaptation & Direction: Raju Sivasankaran and Aparna Sindhoor Places Performed: Amherst, Boston, Mysore, New Delhi, Syracuse, Hartford The Incident and After is a 45 minute solo dance theater feature based on a Kannada short story Ondu Ghatane Mattu Anantara (The incident and After) written by Anupama Niranjana which has been translated into English by Seemanthini Niranjana in Women Writing in India, Volume II. The story is about a young couple who are leading a happy married life, which gets violently disrupted when the wife is raped by a group of men. This is an original solo performance piece where Bharatanatyam, Khatak, Indian folk dance and South Indian classical music are used to tell a contemporary story of some seriousness and significance. The HuntChoreographer & Performer: Aparna Sindhoor Adaptation & Direction: Raju Sivasankaran and Aparna Sindhoor This 50 min dance-theater performance piece is based on a Bengali short story by Mahasweta Devi, translated into English by Gayatri Spivak in the collection ‘Imaginary Maps’. Hunt is a story of a tribal Indian woman, her battle against the deforestation of her homeland, and her revenge against a sexist man from the city. This story is performed through a blend of Indian classical and folk dance and world music. Skeletons in the ClosetAuthor: Raju Sivasankaran Performers: FOPA collective What happens when a gay Indian (specifically, Tamil) graduate student from the US comes out to his conservative parents on his visit to India. This 20 minute play won the James Baldwin award at the WORD! competition, a play competition held by the Umass Theater department for the five college students in Amherst, MA. Visa: It's no where you want to beAuthor: Raju Sivasankaran Performers: FOPA collective A funny look at what goes on in the long lines outside the US consulate in Madras and inside the consulates in Montreal and Madras. This short play won the James Baldwin Playwright award at WORD! festival in 1999. Give Peace a ChanceAuthor: Raju Sivasankaran Performers: FOPA collective This is an anti-nuclear skit written in response to the recent nuclear explosions conducted by the governments of India and Pakistan. The human tragedy, the fake theories of nuclear deterrence and the false claim that the people want nuclear weapons are the issues explored in this 15 minute piece. Agni ParikshaiAuthor: Raju Sivasankaran This 45 minute play deals with the issue of bride burning and makes connections between the patriarchy in a contemporary Indian household and the epic Ramayana in which Sita had to undergo Agni Parikshai (ordeal of fire) in order to prove her innocence. This play won the James Baldwin award at the WORD! competition, a play competition held by the UMass Theater department for the five college students in Amherst, MA. An excerpt was performed as part of the WORD! festival. Airforce 1-1/2Author: Raju Sivasankaran What happens when Cheepak Dokra, a new-age guru of the nineties, Maharishi, a guru of the seventies and the president of United States are in the same plane that is being hijacked by a human rights activist prone to some violence. Throw in the God and we have a funny situation. FOPA Film Screenings When Women Unite by Shabnam Virmani & Natta Duvuri on Women's anti-Liquor movement in India. Kaise Jeebo Re by Jharana Jhaveri & Anurag Singh on the oppressed people displaced by large dam projects. Fishing in the sea of Greed by Anand Patwardhan on the plight of fisher people in India. Pastoral Politics by V. Saberwal and S. Barnela on the politics of land degradation.
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