East West Players (EWP), in partnership with San Francisco’s EnActe Arts and New York City’s Hypokrit Productions, is proud to present the world premiere of The Sitayana, written by Lavina Jadhwani (Time Out Chicago’s “Best Next Generation Stage Director”), and directed by Reena Dutt (Dir. Antigone, Presented by the Girls of St. Catherine’s – Sacred Fools), this fall. The Sitayana premiers with 9 livestreamed performances, from September 25 to October 17, and is available on-demand from September 20 to October 17.

The Sitayana is an artful transposition of the Hindu epic The Ramayana told from Sita’s point of view. Part epic tale, part coming of age story, The Sitayana is the ultimate breakup play. Audiences will be able to choose between three different incarnations of Sita—Sita's Mehndi Party, Amar Chitra Sita, and Sita's Slumber Party. Each offers different incarnations of the same legendary story, upending traditional gender norms and subvert idealized views of femininity along the way.

Finding Paradise, formerly Eh Dah? Questions for my Father, follows the lives of a family divided across continents and *cultures in a turbulent political landscape. Set in Egypt and America, this contemporary musical by Aya Aziz explores what it means to live in a post 9/11 world. Recipient of The Best Book and Best Individual Performance awards at New York Musical Festival 2016.

Set in a not-too-distant future in a society that has been purged of cisgender men, R+J was a radical reimagination of the classic Romeo and Juliet. It’s 25 years past the extermination of the male sex and the government is still relying on martial law for order amongst the factions. The Montagues, the militaristic warmongers who executed the extermination, and The Capulets, the controllers of information and media, fight to regain dominance against the tightening grip of the Sovereign State. In this world of turmoil, the heirs of each faction stumble upon each other and fall in unexpected, passionate love. Director Molly Houlahan’s R + J examines what happens when a new society relies upon the patriarchal structures of the past. Can a better world truly be reimagined anew if it relies on old systems of power, money, and love? Houlahan uses Romeo and Juliet to explore mainstream feminism and those who are in danger of being left behind in its wake.

Elements of Change (Elements) was a theatrical piece developed by Hypokrit Theatre Company in collaboration with UNICEF, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, and Greenpoint Innovations. Based on “Tré: The Adventures of Brother Earth,” the comic book by Sona Sridhar, winner of the inaugural UNICEF Climate Comic Contest, Elements of Change was brought to life in an effort to integrate the arts for climate sustainability during Climate Week NYC 2018. Elements tells the story of the young artist Sona (based upon the artist of the comic book) when her character Tré comes to life to help her find her sister who has been swept away in the torrential floods plaguing her home in India. Creator and character journey forth around the world together to places where human life and the earth have jarred out of sync. From the ocean to the jungle to the desert, Sona and Tré learn how to become stewards of the planet, restore the balance, and ultimately save Sona’s sister. Elements of Change was performed at locations all over Manhattan and Brooklyn. Inspired by Indian street theatre and the Public’s Mobile Unit, it was presented to families and students at Kingsland Flowers, Pace University, Castillo Theatre, the United Nations International School, and i318 Middle School in Greenpoint.

An exploration of the life of widows in 20th century Calcutta and one widow in particular, Binodini, who finds herself entangled in a forbidden love triangle. Adapted by Dr. Partha Chatterjee in English from Nobel Poet Laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s novel, the story about female desire in the domestic sphere is adapted as a Greek tragedy. Through the conventions of staging tragedy, Hypokrit captures the world of 20th century Bengal as it relates to the world now. With the use of world music and movement, Hypokrit Theatre Company presents Tagore’s most daring tale as an alive and present, contemporary work of art.

Zenobia Shroff, a SAG award nominee for The Big Sick, is an actor in American theatre, television, and film. In her solo show How to Succeed as an Ethnically Ambiguous Actor, Shroff details her astonishing, hilarious, and heart-breaking journey from Bombay to New York as she plays over 25 characters. Populating her own life story with casting directors, bosses, lovers, and family, Shroff explores the sacrifice, absurdity, and pain of being a woman of color pursuing a life in the arts. The production has travelled and grown, first opening as one of the official selections of the Planet Connections Theatre Festivity where it ran to sold-out crowds and received rave reviews. Zenobia Shroff and Arpita Mukherjee were nominated for awards in Outstanding Solo Performance and Outstanding Direction. From there it transferred to an acclaimed Off-Broadway run at Castillo Theatre.

Set in India’s hyper-competitive reality dance competition world – the story of the two women who coveted both, the main prize and the man. The iconic Indian tale written by Sarat Chandra has had more than 500 adaptations, almost always with a man at the center of it – Devdas – the symbol of love and loss. In this re-imagined version, the story of the tragic hero is told from the point of view of the women that loved him in this ballet set in modern India. Through the use of original music composed and innovative Indo-contemporary choreography, Hypokrit Theatre Company brings to the stage the oldest Indian love story, as its never been seen before, where women rule, and love and loss is just a transaction.

Hypokrit Theatre Company’s inaugural production Romeo & Juliet, directed by Arpita Mukherjee. This reimagined telling of an old classic brought the star crossed lovers to the world of Bollywood, drawing on Bollywood’s elevated drama, song, and dance. With roots in classical drama of the South Asian subcontinent, influences from folk song and dance, as well as globalization, Hypokrit’s Romeo and Juliet harnessed the magic and elevated emotion of the Bollywood aesthetic to redefine perhaps the most well known Western Classic. With a race blind cast, director Arpita Mukherjee explored the rich conversation between east and west, selling out for three weeks in a row.