Equus on stage across Ireland
8th February 2012
The London Classic Theatre presents Peter Schaffer’s unique psychological thriller Equus. The Tony Award-winning play runs in theatres across Ireland this spring.
In a Hampshire stable, a youth blinds six horses with a metal spike. Convicted of this appalling crime, seventeen-year-old stableboy Alan Stang is sent to a psychiatric hospital. In an attempt to understand his motives, child psychiatrist Martin Dysart probes Alan’s past. At first, he is met with silence and evasion, but as he digs deeper and wins Alan’s trust, the boy’s resistance dissipates and the truth gradually comes to light.
While the imaginative, emotionally disturbed stableboy battles to make sense of the contrary human impulses he feels, the psychiatrist finds that the case is leading him to question his profession and purpose; he fears that by helping the boy – making him more ‘normal’ – he will extinguish the passionate, creative spark within him.
Playwright Peter Schaffer was inspired to write Equus in 1973 by true events. When a friend briefly recounted to him a news story about a British youth who blinded several horses in a stable, seemingly without cause, Schaffer became intrigued. He did not seek to discover details of the case; instead, he set out to construct a fictional account of the event and what might have caused it.
Equus explores the complex relationships between worship, myth and sexuality. The Independent deems it “a powerful and haunting play”, while the Sunday Times calls it “one of the top theatre events of 2012”.
Equus runs in theatres across Ireland from February 8th to April 22th. A full timetable is listed below. As it contains strong language, adult themes and nudity, Equus is suitable for ages 14 and over.
Everyman Palace Theatre, Cork, February 8-18
Watergate Theatre, Kilkenny, February 28 & 29
Mill Theatre, Dundrum, March 1-3
Source Arts Centre, Thurles, March 6
Solstice Arts Centre, Navan, March 7
Garter Lane Arts Centre, Waterford, April 17-18
Belltable Arts Centre, Limerick, April 19-22