Written by Gabriel Besa
‘Equus’ from The X Collective was a superb showcasing of drama and all things theatre. From the exquisitely put together lighting to the character portrayal of each of the actors, The X Collective knows how to put on a show.
‘Equus’ is a play written by Peter Shaffer in 1973, where he was inspired after he heard a seventeen-year-old boy blind six horses in a small town in northern England. It then went on to win the Tony Award for Best Play. The play switches from past and present as it acts out previous events that lead up to Alan Strang’s current state. Through the psychiatric expertise of Martin Dysart, we see the importance each character had played against Alan Strang’s life.
The X Collective had meticulously placed this production in the Holy Trinity Hall as it provides a state of eeriness and mystery for the audience. Since the venue strays from the average theatre, portable lighting and set design options were used for the show. The lighting for the show was a standout for the production as we see blue and purple tints embedded in certain scenes. Spotlights and the use of the lamp on stage were also instrumental to the lighting as it differentiated Gregg Scurr as Martin Dysart switching from narrating to playing in the scene at the blink of an eye.
Sound was also a comendable element of the show as Peter Gabriel’s “My Body is a Cage” signifies the start and finish of each act. Each time the song is played, the actors walk in and out of the set. When on, the actors stay in front of the audience until the end of the act. Actors not currently in the scene are seated along the far wall, facing the audience until it is their time to step into the scene. It is reminiscent of how Greek drama was done with its similarity in using the production’s chorus. In fact, the entirety of the show provided a classic theatre element to it with the miming of certain props and having actors jump from their role into a mask to momentarily play a horse.
The show being in the Holy Trinity Hall also meant that none of the actors had microphones attached to them. Their voices would echo along the complex architecture of the building which aided in intense scenes as their raised voices pushed their presence onto the audience. This also meant that in quieter moments of dialogue, the echoes would mesh with their voices and make the audience lean in to properly absorb their words. Because the seating arrangement was made to be intimate for the show, each audience member could feel the reaction of the person next to them.
With a cast of less than ten, each actor portraying the respective character had its moment to shine. When the actors first walked in, their mannerisms and costuming set each of them a part, making themselves distinctive from each other. Gregg Scurr as Martin Dysart had the heavy role of narrating scenes, as well as portraying their character with minimal breaks for scenes. Martin Dysart is the psychiatrist of Rokesby Psychiatric Hospital and the play centred their dialogue actions, so Scurr had a big task in their hands. It was because of Scurr’s portrayal as the grounded Martin Dysart, that the chaos that ensued during the play was so effective. Stephen Jubber as Frank Strang acted as the temperamental father who opposed their devoted Christian wife, Dora Strang, played by Julia Johnson, by being an atheist. Johnson being the emotional, Christian wife, gave them so many scenes to work with as they screamed and cried on stage for their disturbed son. The dynamic that Jubber and Johnson displayed on stage was a magnificent example of suspense building. It is because of the two characters that the unstableness of their son is justified. Adam Dobson plays Alan Strang, the seventeen-year-old son with a darkness and a mystery to hom. Dobson’s job in playing the young boy who doesn’t know any better was spectacular. They gave the audience a taste of Alan’s complexities while also leaving out so much to get the audience asking questions.
'Equss' is playing until the 15th of June, BOOK NOW!
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