Third International Conference

Consciousness, Theatre, Literature and the Arts 

Lincoln,  UK, 16-18 May  2009

Brain Scam

Experience the Ultimate Illusion

Written by Professor Kriben Pillay

and

performed by Mahommed Moorad (Mo Magic)

Brain Scam is a unique act of illusion that constructs with the audience not only the experience of engaging theatre, but also unfolds a narrative of nondual consciousness through both the spoken words and the illusions which illustrate the text. But in this experimental work, it is hoped that the audience will arrive at an immediate sense of how illusory the constructs of ordinary consciousness are, and perhaps glimpse what lies prior to what we take reality to be.

Biographical Sketch – Mahommed Moorad (Mo Magic)

Mo Magic is a dynamic young talent. He is a Magician, who combines the principles of science, sleight of hand, showmanship, illusion, psychology & audience participation to create an extraordinary experience. His show is visual, interactive & highly entertaining.

Mo Magic performs internationally and has featured on national radio, TV, newspapers & magazines. He is highly respected amongst fellow magicians & his performances have won him accolades in the magic community. Mo Magic additionally holds a BSc Honours degree in electronic engineering.

Biographical Sketch – Professor Kriben Pillay

KRIBEN PILLAY is an associate professor in the Leadership Centre, University of KwaZulu-Natal, and is a writer as well as a consultant on personal mastery for the workplace. He was previously director of the Masazane Open School in East London (a project of the South African Institute of Race Relations), a lecturer in English at the University of Fort Hare, and senior lecturer in Drama at the University of Durban-Westville. He was a finalist for the Bertrams African Literature Award in 1992, and was nominated for the 1995 CNA Literary Prize for his play Looking for Muruga, which is being published this year in an anthology of diasporic Indian plays . He is the editor of Noumenon, a journal that critically investigates issues of transformation. His writings on transformation feature in a number of international publications. An Australian book, Drama for Life: Stories of Adult Learning & Empowerment, features a chapter by him, while his book, Radical Work: exploring transformation in the workplace through The Work of Byron Katie, has been published in both English and German. His children's book on transformation, entitled The Story of the Forgetful Ice Lollies, was a finalist in the 2004 BASA Awards and it was nominated for the 2004 Vivian Wilkes Award. Kriben Pillay's first video, Itala's Transformation, opened the 6th Exploring Consciousness Film Festival in Pietermaritzburg in April 2003 to critical acclaim. At the end of 2005, Kriben was awarded a National Arts Council Grant for Literature, while in 2007 he was awarded a National Arts Council Grant for Theatre. His latest scholarly work is Nondualism and Educational Drama and Theatre: A Perspective for Transformative Training. At the end 2008 he was one of four University of KwaZulu-Natal academics selected for the prestigious Distinguished Teacher's Award.