Includes bibliographical references (p. 415-423) and index.

Preliminary Material -- Illustrations -- Preface -- Introduction -- Varieties of Spiritual performance and notions of truth -- Local spiritual performance on North Atlantic and South Pacific shores -- Dead man performing? Interactive, transpersonal and group dynamics in spiritualist performance -- Theatrical reflections on spiritual performance -- Bibliography -- Index.

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Between Play and Prayer launches Spiritual Performance as a term to cover all human performance which in some way refers to creating the presence of beings or entities from a realm that transgresses the sensorial. This notion covers a great variety of performative genres, ranging from funerary services, spiritualist performances of deceased souls, to spiritual readings. This broad and deep approach to a range of performances is answering a renewed craving for spirituality in contemporary culture. By way of performance theory and aesthetic theory, concepts of faith , belief , experience , play , prayer and theatricality , are set in motion when proposing the necessity of experiencing such performances on their own terms. In depth descriptions of a variety of performances in Norwegian and New Zealand local contexts show the necessity of experiencing and understanding an existential quality in Spiritual Performance . Faith , not credo , is at the heart of spiritual practice. The book represents a new, innovative and trans-disciplinary approach to spirituality in performance. The reading of this book is a must for scholars in the field of theatre- and performance studies, ritual and festival studies, for scholars of religion, and anyone interested in the understanding of spiritual practices.