Coming to the Redfern: Equus

From Jackie Hooper, Redfern Arts Center:

Equus, an explosive play of passion and human behavior, will be presented Tuesday to Saturday, October 21 to 25, by the Keene State College Theatre and Dance Department. Each show starts at 7:30 p.m. with a 2 p.m. matinee on Saturday, Oct. 25, in the Wright Theatre of Keene State’s Redfern Arts Center. Tickets are $10 for the general public, $8 for senior citizens, and $6 for KSC students. Equus contains mature subject matter and may not be appropriate for all audiences. Call the box office at 603-358-2168 or order online at www.keene.edu/racbp.

Equus was written in 1973 by British playwright Peter Shaffer, to explore the reasons that could have triggered a true incident in which a 17-year-old boy blinds six horses. So compelling was its look at the psychological reasons for human behavior that the drama became an international award-winner and received the Tony Award for its Broadway premiere as well as the NY Drama Critics Award, and the NY Drama Desk Award. Equus has seen many revivals, most recently in 2008 starring Daniel Radcliffe, which solidified its reputation as a timeless classic and a cornerstone of contemporary drama.

Keene State faculty co-directors PeggyRae Johnson and William Seigh will place their production in the 1970s when the field of psychology was questioning its methodology and relevance. They both emphasize that the play has many correlations to the 21st century with its focus on psychological motivations, and on passion, reason, worship, and senseless acts of violence.

For more details, including cast and crew, see the full story on the keene.edu news site.