Davyn Ryall, artistic director of Village Scene Productions, presents the Montreal cast production of EQUUS by the Tony Award winning playwright Peter Shaffer.
"Passion can be destroyed. It can't be created."
Presented at the Rialto Theatre: April 13 to 24, 2011.
Directed by Paul Van Dyck
Choreographer - Jacqueline Van de Geer;
With: Noel Burton (Martin Dysart), & Bobby Lamont (Alan Strang).
Nadia Verrucci (Hesther Soloman), Alarey Alsip (Jill Mason), Clive Brewer (Frank Strang),
Victoria Barkoff (Dora Strang), Karl P. Werleman (Harry Dalton), Heather Huff (Nurse), André Simoneau (Man on Horse & Nugget).
Movement ensemble : Jaime Del Aguila, Julia Dawiskiba, Ellie Moon,
Fred Nguyen, Kristina Sandev & Nicholas Santillo.
Dance captain – Loes Ruizeveld;
Costume design - Mélanie-Ann Fallnbigl & Davyn Ryall;
Set design – André Simoneau & Davyn Ryall
Light designer - Jody Burkholder;
Make-up design - Mélanie-Ann Fallnbigl;
Janis Kirshner - Media Relations;
Kristina Doiron – Graphic design;
Jeremy Eliosoff - Annimated graphics;
Tristan Brand - Videographer/Photographer ;
Stage Manager - Sarah Stupar.
Set in a southern England provincial mental hospital EQUUS is a powerful, provocative and utterly jarring story of a psychiatrist Martin Dysart (Noel Burton) who seeks to understand the sexual and religious mystery that leads a boy of seventeen Alan Strang (Bobby Lamont) to deliberately blind six horses. It is an equally disturbing and inspiring examination of personal values and morality in the face of commonly accepted social prejudices. The psychological space that forms becomes the battleground between Strang and Dysart. Each man, in their own way, forces the other to question the legitimacy of their passion, or lack thereof. The father/son dynamic that develops between them drives them both to face the truth of their situation; the tension between the freedom of unbridled passion and the controlled normalcy society expects. The characters are mere shadows of the people they once were, tethered to the normalcy that reflects society. The theme of suffering runs throughout the play. As strongly as any chain, it links together God, Equus, and Alan whose passion is exhilarating to Dysart, but can only be seen as pained by the counterbalancing voice of Hesther Salomon (Nadia Verrucci) the Magistrate. Alan's horrible crime is not the result of a disregard for social norms, but rather the expression of deeply disturbed introjections of them, produced by a convoluted development as an individual. In a time where extremism and religion motivate and justify actions unspeakable, Equus demonstrates that no single act, even the most horrific, can be judged solely in black or white, it presents the opportunity to explore the complexity of the grey areas in between.
This psychodrama first premiered in 1973; the modern classic masterpiece finally receives a long-awaited revival in Montreal since it was re-popularized a few years ago in London's West End and on Broadway, in a production starring Harry Potters' Daniel Radcliff. –Presented in the original English version. -Warning: For mature audiences 18+ only; coarse language, adult content, and nudity.
Preview: Wednesday April 13, 7:30pm (2-4-1). Premier: Thursday, April 14, 7:30pm.
Saturday April 16, 8pm *benefit for RefugeRR; Sunday April 17, 2pm; Tuesday April 19, 7:30pm; Wednesday April 20, 7:30pm; Thursday, April 21, 7:30pm; Friday April 22, 8pm; Saturday April 23, 8pm; Sunday April 24, 2pm & 8pm.
Tickets: Regular 30$ Seniors & students $24 (Taxes included.)
*Benefit performance for Refuge RR, 50$ (A tax receipt for a donaton of 25$ will be issued upon request from the charity.)
Advance ticket purchase at: www.lavitrine.com, 145 Ste-Catherine W.
Priape, 1311 Ste-Catherine E. (Service charges apply) &
ÉM café - Mile End, 5718 ave. du parc.
info@villagescene.com Tel: 514 965-9VSP (877)
Rialto Theatre, 5723 ave. du Parc (SW corner Bernard) Montreal.
www.rialtotheatre.ca 514 770-7773