HotCity Theatre to Present EQUUS, 9/10-25

 HotCity Theatre, a professional theatre company with a focus on contemporary programming and new play development announces the opening of Equus, The 1975 Tony award winning psychological drama by Peter Shaffer. Webster University professor Doug Finlayson will direct this production, the third show in the 2010 HotCity Season.

When: September 10th - 25th, Thursdays, Fridays - 8pm, Saturdays - 3pm and 8pm, Sundays - 7pm.

Where:
The Kranzberg Arts Center, 501 N. Grand in the Big Brothers Big Sisters Building, just south of the Fox Theatre.

 

Ticket Info:
General Admission tickets are $25 for adults and $20 for seniors (62+).

$15 Student Rush Tickets available 10 minutes before show time.

Preview tickets on September 9th are $15.00

Group discounts are available.

About The Show:

Winner of the 1975 Tony Award, Equus transports the audience into a world where questions have no easy answers, pain has no easy cure, and the line between aberrance and normalcy is constantly blurred and moving. Playwright Peter Shaffer delves into man's inherent need to worship distorted by the strict rules of religion and the overwhelming pressures of a so-called civilized society.

Managing Director John Armstrong comments: "We are very excited to offer our patrons another modern classic in our effort to present theatre that has an engaging theatricality and timeless themes. Equus will be a commanding piece on the intimate Kranzberg stage where the audience can focus on the dialogue and language that made this show an instant hit when it opened at the Old Vic in 1973. Doug Finlayson understands the importance of not only how the story is told, but why. With Jim Anthony starring as Dr. Strang, the audience will certainly walk out of the theatre contemplating a powerful and moving night of drama."

Director's Note

"I saw Equus on Broadway in 1975 as a freshman in college. It was my first visit to New York and the production affected me deeply. I remember feeling a tremendous connection to Alan Strang (a young Thomas Hulce) and his journey through a lonely and troubled adolescent crisis. Dr. Dysart recognized in this boy, a decent human being who had done a terrible thing. I sat onstage as part of John Dexter's original production and was barely coherent by the end of the show. The play and the character of Alan seemed to be speaking directly to me.

When Marty asked me to direct the show I sat back down and reread the play. It turns out that 35 years later the play seemed to be less about a troubled teen lost in an adolescent nightmare, and more about a man struggling in mid-life to put meaning to his work. Dysart's doubts about the value of his life's work, was touching to me in a way it had not been before.

These changing facets within Equus are the hallmark of a great play. Time has passed, but the production's impact has not been diminished. The "dance" of trust and truth that Alan and Dysart undertake in the play still has the ability to affect audiences in a powerful and provocative way."

Cast:

Alan Strang - Drew Pannebecker
Frank Strang/Dalton/Horse #2 - Steve Isom*
Dr. Dysart - Jim Anthony*
Hesther - Kelley Ryan
Dora - Ruth Heyman
Jill/Nurse - Emily Fisher
Horseman/Nugget - Brian Jones
Horse #3 - Michael Perkins

HotCity Theatre operates under a Small Professional Theatre contract with Actors Equity, the union of professional actors and Stage Managers in the United States, and receives funding from the Siteman Foundation, Regional Arts Commission, The Whitaker Foundation, The Arts and Education Council, The Greater St. Louis Community Foundation, The Missouri Arts Council, The Fox Associates Performing Arts Charitable Foundation, The John R. Goodall Charitable Trust and the William A. Kerr Foundation, as well as generous individuals in the community.

For more information, contact John Armstrong at 314-289-4061 or email at jarmstrong@hotcitytheatre.org.

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