| Searching for God in Kerala | |
| by Jon Whittle | |
| in the San Francisco Fringe Festival |
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Searching for God in Kerala is the third production from Dweeb Productions, a San Francisco based theater company, at the cutting edge of movement-based theater. Searching for God in Kerala is a multimedia one-act play incorporating dance, text and film. |
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| The play revolves around one man's fascination with the obscure Indian performance ritual, theyyam. Only Untouchables are permitted to perform theyyam. The performer dons an elaborate costume, paints himself with intricate make-up and becomes possessed by God during the performance. As God, he blesses the high-caste Brahmins. Hence, theyyam represents a complete reversal of the social hierarchy of India. | |
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Our protagonist finds himself in the northern Indian state of Kerala, a land of coconut groves and paddy fields. He searches out the obscure theyyam ritual and, along the way, meets a local woman who teaches him Indian dance. In his attempt to understand theyyam, he decides to train to become a theyyam performer. But what he learns from his debut performance is totally unexpected. Does a theyyam really become God? Does God channel his thoughts through his theyyams? |
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Watch for Searching for God in Kerala in the San Francisco Fringe Festival, September 2003. |
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Read about India in these short stories by Jon Whittle: a story about staying on a coffee plantation in Hassan, Pancakes and Coffee; and a story about theyyam, Searching for God in Kerala. |
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