Theatre is God -- Krishna, Lila, and Freedom -- Origins of Child Performers in the Râs Lila -- Acting in the Râs Lila and Real Realism -- Theatre is Religion: the Acting Audience
Summary
Theatre and Religion on Krishna's Stage examines the history and form of India's râs lila folk theatre, and discusses how this theatre functions as a mechanism of worship and spirituality among Krishna devotees in India. From analyses of performances and conversations with performers, audience, and local scholars, Mason argues that ŕs lila actors and audience alike actively assume roles that locate them together in the spiritual reality that the play represents. Correlating Krishna devotion and theories of religious experience, this book suggests that the emotional experience of theatrical fiction may arise from the propensity of audiences to play out roles of their own through which they share a performance's reality
Bibliography
Includes bibliographical references (pages 183-189) and index
