Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Discussion #3 - End of Play
By: Svetlana Bogdanovic
Hey guys! So this is our last discussion. This discussion will have comments such as, characters differences between the beginning of the play vs. end of the play, and how the play ended.
TRAILER! And many more goodies!
BY: Winnie Mac
Hey guys! Found a video of the original Equus film trailer on YouTube. Hope you enjoy it.
I also found an essay that provides readers background knowledge about the meaning of Equus in the Roman world.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Discussion #2 - Characters
By: Winnie Mac
Hey guys! I hope you have finished the play by now (or at least near the end).We should have a good grasp on each characters' personality, so I think by now we should be able to discuss each character in a more... "detailed" manner.
Q: What do you guys think of Frank and Dora? Do you think they play a big role in Alan's life?
***Remember! Consider what each character says and experiences in the play.
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Character summary -
Alan (Svetlana)- There is a young 17 year old boy name Alan Strang who is the main character in this play. He is a mentally unstable teenage whose perception is in life is distorted. In the play it started off Alan stabbing 6 horses with a hoof pick, leaving them blind. While reading this play, I realized that Alan is anti-social. He does not have any friends, or anyone to interact with. When his parents dropped him off at the psychiatric hospital he was not very nice, nor polite. Alan's attitude is extreme. As you can tell in Act one his attitude reminds me of a 12 year old boy. He talks back, he does not want to listen, he does things his own way, and every time Dysart, which is the psychiatrist tries to ask him questions or to help him he gives him a total different answer. Alan thinks it is a game. He is not open to anyone, he keeps things to himself. Dysart as well tries to get close with him, tries to get Alan to open up. There is a quote on page 65, where it says "The normal is the good smile in a child's eyes-all right. It is also the dead stare in a million adults." I believe that this quote shows that when Dysart looks into Alan's eyes he does not see a happy smile where most children have. He sees evil in his eyes. He has an obsession with horses since his mother would teach him everything about horses because she as well is a fan. She would tell him stories straight from the bible and even teach him some drastic events. He is obsessed with religion and horses.
Dysart (Winnie) - Martin Dysart is the central character of the play. In the
storyline, we see that Dysart is retelling events that had previously happened
to him to the audience. Dysart is a middle-aged children’s psychiatrist who
deals with psychological disorders who has been asked to take Alan Strang as
his patient. Alan has committed a crime which no one, apart from Dysart, would
be able to help him process and overcome. As Dysart comes to understand the
crime Alan has committed, he starts to question his confidence and job.
Production History
By: Winnie Mac
This section we will discuss about the production history and critical history of the play Equus.Genre: Drama/Theatre
Equus (Play)
Equus is a dramatic play written by Peter Shaffer premiered in 1973. Shaffer is an English playwright and screenwriter from Liverpool, England. He has won numerous award-winning plays, several of which have been filmed.Set in England, the play tells a story of a psychiatrist who attempts to treat a seventeen-year-old boy who has blinded six horses with a metal hoof in a stable.
Shaffer's play was inspired by the unknown case of a seventeen-year-old boy who lived in a small town near Suffolk, England. The boy was known for blinding six horses. Not much information was gathered, but it certainly did plant a seed in to Shaffer's head and inspired him to create the play Equus. The play was performed between 1973 and 1975, and later on a Broadway production was produced which ran for approximately 1,200 performances. However, this was not the only remake of the original play. There has been many recent remakes of Equus which starred the famous British actor, Daniel Radcliffe (known for playing the role Harry Potter), who played the lead role, Alan, and Richard Griffiths who plays Dysart.
Characters
Martin Dysart: A psychiatrist.Alan Strang: Seventeen-year-old boy who is being treated at the hospital.
Frank Strang: Alan Strang's father.
Dora Strang: Alan Strang's mother.
Hesther Salomon: A magistrate (judge).
Jill Mason: Worker at the stable and Alan's acquaintance.
Harry Dalton: A stable owner.
A Young Horseman: Mysterious man who Alan remembers.
A Nurse: Martin Dysart's assistance.
History
- Equus premiered in 1973 at the Royal National Theatre in Lambeth, London, UK.
- The play starred the follow actors/actress: Colin Blakely, Eileen Atkins, Jenny Agutter, Joan Plowright, Peter Firth, and Richard Burton, directed by Sidney Lumet.
- The play had swept both audience and critics, securing Shaffer's career.
- Equus also had its American premiere at New York’s Plymouth Theatre on October 24, 1974.
- The play was later on adapted into a film in 1977.
- Equus was presented in Baltimore, in 1979 by the Lovegrove Alley Theatre.
- Remade in February 2007 by producers David Pugh and Dafydd Rogers
- Starring Richard Griffiths and Daniel Radcliffe in the leading roles.
- Illustrated edition of the play text was produced by the Old Stile Press, with images developed by British artist Clive Hicks-Jenkins in 2009
Awards and Nominations
In 1975, Equus (play) received:- Drama Desk Award Outstanding New Foreign Play
- New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for Best Play
- Tony Award for Best Play
- Drama Desk Awards Best Leading actor in a play: Daniel Radcliffe
- Tony Award for Best Lighting Design of a Play - David Hersey
- Tony Award for Best Sound Design of a Play - Gregory Clarke
- Golden Globes - Best Actor - Motion Picture Drama - Richard Burton
- Golden Globes - Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture - Peter Firth
- BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress - Jenny Agutter
- BAFTA Award for Best Film Music - Richard Rodney Bennett
- Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor - Peter Firth
- Academy Awards - Best Actor - Richard Burton
- Academy Awards - Best Supporting Actor - Peter Firth
- Academy Awards - Best Adapted Screenplay - Peter Shaffer
- UNDER CONSTRUCTION: Winnie
**Please post your thoughts and facts that you have gathered in this section guys!
Wednesday, May 29, 2013
Beginning of Equus - Discussion #1
By: Svetlana C. Bogdanovic
So in Act 1 Dora (mom) was explaining to Dysart (psychiatric) that she does not understand why Alan would stab 5 horses. What do you guys think? Why would he do that?
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