Kutiyattam: Sanskrit Theater of India on CD-ROM offers an interactive, multimedia experience of what may be the world's oldest surviving genre of theater. Kutiyattam, which dates back to the tenth century c.e., is closely associated with Hindu temple life and religious ritual. Actors in elaborate costume and makeup use a gestural language, chanted speech, and exaggerated facial and eye expressions to perform the various roles of mythological characters, gods, and demons. They are accompanied by musicians playing instruments unique to the art.

In his travels to India over the past thirty years to study Kutiyattam, Farley Richmond has witnessed performances and undergone performance training, in the process collecting a rich body of material on this rare art form. The CD-ROM presentation conveys textual and visual information on the acting, costume, makeup, music, and architecture of Kutiyattam; audio and video clips of Kutiyattam performance and training; and an extensive scholarly bibliography. The CD-ROM will be of interest to students and scholars in the fields of theater, religious ritual, and Indian culture.

Farley Richmond, author, is Professor of the Department of Drama and Theatre and Director of the Center for Asian Studies at the University of Georgia at Athens. David Z. Saltz, interactive designer, is assistant professor of interactive media and performance theory in the Department of Drama at the University of Georgia at Athens.

• Minimum System Requirements*
• Windows / Intel Pentium processor with 32 MB RAM / Windows 95 or higher
  256-color display at 640 x 480 / Sound Blaster or compatible sound card / Double-speed CD-ROM drive
• Macintosh / Power PC (G3 or higher recommended) with 32 MB RAM
  System 8.1 or higher / 256-color display at 640 x 480 / Double-speed CD-ROM drive