by Peter Shaffer

„A couple of years ago, one weekend, I was driving down a country road with a friend. We passed a stable and suddenly he remembered an unusual crime he had recently heard about at a dinner party in London. He knew only one detail – horrible – and the whole story lasted less than a minute, but it aroused an intense fascination in me. The act had been committed a few years earlier by a troubled young man. It deeply shocked the local magistrates. And in the end, no rational explanation could be found.” (Peter Shaffer, prologue to the play EQUUS)

Horse (1973) is a play written by English playwright Peter Shaffer, and is the story of a psychiatrist who tries to treat a young man who has a pathological religious fascination with horses. Shaffer was inspired to write Horse after hearing about a shocking incident: a 17-year-old boy blinded six horses in a small town near Suffolk. The playwright built a fictional history of the possible causes of the incident, without knowing any other details about it. The plot of the play is similar to a detective story, in which psychiatrist Martin Dysart tries to understand the causes of the boy's actions, while struggling with conflicting feelings about his personal life.

Most important are the themes of religious and ritual sacrifice, and the way in which the character Alan Strang constructs a personal theology involving horses and the supreme god, Equus. Alan sees horses as representatives of God, confusing the adoration of his God with sexual attraction. Equally important in Shaffer's play is the examination of the conflict between personal values and the ethics of the individual and social morality. Referring to the classical structure of the play, Shaffer discusses the conflict between Apollonian and Dionysian values and the systems of people's lives.

DISTRIBUTION:

Martin Dysart, psychiatrist: Richard Balint
Alan Strang: Ciprian Ciuciu
Frank Strang, father of: Petre Ghimbasan
Dora Strang, his mother: Corina Cernea
Hesther Salomon, magistrate: Suzana Macovei
Jill Mason: Alina Leonte
Harry Dalton, stable owner: Sebastian Lupu
Nugget: Razvan Vicoveanu
A nurse: Angela Tanko
Choir: Mirela Lupu, Denisa Vlad, Mihaela Gherdan, Dania Ținca, Răzvan Vicoveanu, Pavel Sîrghi

Artistic Director: Szabó K. István
Sets: Mira Janos Tamas
Costumes: Violin Bar
Choreography: Mălina Andrei
Original Music: Ovidiu Iloc

Premiere date: September 23, 2012

Festivals:

• International Short Theatre Festival, 18th edition, September 23-30, Oradea

Awards and nominations:

• Best Actor Award – Richard Balint (for the roles of Martin Dysart – EQUUS and Hilbert – THE TIME IS COMING SOON) – International Short Theatre Festival, 18th edition, Oradea

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