Biennale presents play ‘Hand of God’ to bring out social realities through audience reaction
Kochi / March 20, 2026
Kochi, Mar 20: An interactive theatre performance, titled Hand of God, was presented by the Kochi Biennale Foundation (KBF) to bring out sociological realities through provocation and audience engagement.
Directed by P. R. Arun, it was held at the Pavilion, Bastion Bungalow as part of the ongoing Kochi-Muziris Biennale (KMB), the nearly four-month-long art event which will conclude on March 31.
Arun said the play evolves differently with each staging as audience responses influence the direction and atmosphere of the performance.
“We call this an installation because after each staging, we are the ones actually seeing the play—the cast and crew. Each audience behaves in a different way. Before we staged this, it was the Slave who died. Before that, it was the Queen who died. So at each stage, it is a different scene and a different vibe,” he said.
“There have been audiences who treated it with bursts of laughter and insensitivity. There have also been stages where people were deeply triggered, and in many places people cried. There were instances where women were triggered by past experiences and we had to console them and stop the play. There were also places where people were angry about the system,” he said.
The performance also uses the idea of “God” as a metaphor for the legal, social, and familial systems that determine whose suffering is acknowledged, inviting audiences to reflect on broader questions surrounding gender, faith, democracy, and the politics of the body.
According to Arun, the production has engendered an experience not only for the audience but also for the performers. He added that the team hopes to present the play to a wider range of audiences outside Kerala as well in the future to understand how people respond to the themes explored in the performance.
He also pointed out that it is very difficult to perform. “But each time, from this interaction, we get an energy. These conflicts bring out the prejudices within people. They react without knowing,” he said, adding that different audiences have supported different characters during the performance.
The intention of the play, he said, is to bring out sociological realities through provocation and audience engagement. “We are addressing the issue and telling the audience that it is their choices that make a difference in the world,” he emphasised.
“We are coming to an election. It is better to make a choice than to reach an evil choice by choosing the ‘best’ choice over and over again,” he said.
ENDS
