Preview: Equus

April 29-May 4, 7:30pm

Loeb Experimental Theater

Directed by William A. Grace ’12

Produced by Elizabeth J. Krane ’11 and Eleanor T. Regan ’13

Any production of Peter Shaffer’s “Equus” is bound to elicit a strong reaction from the audience. The acts of raw violence and sensuality become just as significant to the play as its themes on the search for personal meaning, identity, and faith. “It’s very scary if you can’t see through to the humanity in it,” says director William A. Grace ’12. “It can be very hard to see the goodness.”

“Equus” centers on a psychiatrist, Dysart (Alex P. Raymond ’12), during his sessions with Alan (Bryce D. Kauder ’14), a 17-year-old boy who has recently blinded six horses in what appears to be a bizarre fit of passion. As he attempts to reach Alan and mend his emotional scars, Dysart begins to doubt the value of his work, as well as his own notions of what it means to be normal.

While the cast will perform in the round and mostly without props, Grace will complement the physical and emotional intensity of the story with original choreography, co-created with Ilinca Radulian ’11. “Bill is extraordinary at taking something very specific, something that would normally be impossible to portray on stage, like sex, or riding a horse, and using choreography to present something that is very easily interpretable,” says Kauder.

The rights for “Equus” stipulate that Alan appear nude in the play’s final scenes and many past productions have used at least some form of stylized movement. “Key moments are often choreographed,” says Valériya Tsitron ’14, who plays would-be love interest Jill. “It makes it less awkward for the actors and at the same time more interesting for the audience.” While the play necessarily involves an element of spectacle, Grace says that he in no way intends his show to be gratuitous. For Grace and members of the cast, dance and nudity are used very purposefully in the show.

Tsitron says that the show touches on many different topics, such as religion, growing up, and self-doubt. According to Grace, these topics make the play relatable. “For me this show is about what it means to have faith and to believe in something or someone,” he says. “There’s this whole undercurrent with the play and its characters of trying to find meaning in their lives.”