Download Equus - Auckland Theatre Company

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EQUUS by Peter Shaffer
April 15th – May 7th 2005 Maidment Theatre
Director Colin McColl
Lighting Designer Phillip Dexter
Sound Designer John Gibson
Production Manager Andrew Malmo
Set Designer John Parker
Costume Designer Elizabeth Whiting
Movement Designer Shona McCullagh
Stage Manager Fern Christie
Cast:
Peter Elliot, Kip Chapman, Ilona Rogers, Catherine Wilkin, David Aston, Toni Potter, Hera
Dunleavy, Steven A Davis, Chad Hampson, Rudi Vodanovich and Nathan Whitaker
Teacher’s Pack researched, compiled and written by Lynne Cardy
Curriculum Advisor Trevor Sharp
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CONTENTS
SYNOPSIS…………………………………………………..3
SUMMARY………………………………………………….3-4
HISTORY OF THE PLAY………………………………..5
PASSAGE OF TIME……………………………………….5
THEMES………………………………………………………6
SET DESIGN…………………………………………………7
LIGHTING & SOUND………………………………………7
THE HORSES…………………………………………………8
COSTUME……………………………………………………8-9
MOVEMENT………………………………………………….10
INTERVIEW WITH KIP CHAPMAN……………………..11
FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES………………………………12-13
1. DISCUSSION…………………………………………….12
2. CHORUS-WORK…………………………………………13
REFERENCES………………………………………………….14
Peter Elliot (Dysart) and Kip
Chapman (Alan) in
rehearsal
David Aston (Frank), Toni Potter
(Jill), Kip Chapman (Alan) in
rehearsal
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THE PLAY
SYNOPSIS
Alan Strang (Kip Chapman), a 17 year old boy, is brought to a psychiatric hospital for treatment
after he blinds six horses with a metal spike. His subsequent treatment by psychiatrist Martin
Dysart (Peter Elliot) and the explosive encounters between the two form the basis of the play.
Structured like a mystery, Dysart slowly unravels the reasons behind Alan’s abhorrent act and as
he comes to understand the inner world of worship that Alan has created around the horse-god,
Equus, he begins to question whether ‘curing’ Alan is really the best course of action. How can he
help Alan become less anguished and more socially acceptable without destroying his spirit?
Despite his doubts Dysart goes through with the treatment and the play ends when the boy finally
faces his most repressed memory and the doctor is left with a sense of self-loathing for
‘normalising’ Alan.
SUMMARY
ACT ONE
The play opens with the image of a teenage boy, Alan, embracing a
horse (Nugget – Steven A Davis) and is underscored by a monologue
delivered to the audience from Dysart, an over-worked and selfdoubting psychiatrist. Dysart has been asked by his friend (magistrate
Hesther Salomon –Ilona Rogers) to help Alan to come to terms with
the crime he has recently committed - blinding six horses with a spike.
In their first meeting Alan refuses to communicate with Dysart, replying
to his questions by singing advertising jingles. Following this session
Dysart has a dream where he is an ancient Greek priest, wearing a
gold mask (like the Mask of Agamemnon) - and ritually killing children
– all of whom look like Alan. He tells Hesther “treating him is going to be unsettling.” The Nurse
(Hera Dunleavy) reports that Alan is having recurring nightmares, screaming ‘Ek’ in his sleep.
Dysart decides to visit Alan’s parents to learn more. Dora, his mother (Catherine Wilkin), tells him
that Alan has always loved horses and as a child was fascinated by a story she told him about the
Christian Cavalry who were perceived by the awe-struck pagans of the New World to be joined to
their horses, as one god-like being. She also taught Alan that the Latin word for horse was
Equus. Her printer husband Frank (David Aston) admits to being an atheist who blames Alan’s
problems on the bible stories that Dora has read to the boy throughout his life. He describes
religion as; “just bad sex.”
Dysart probes Alan about his first memory of a horse. Reluctantly the boy tells him about a
childhood incident on the beach, when a young man offered him a ride on his horse. Alan thought
it was wonderful, but his parents were worried and in their fuss caused him to fall off the horse.
He tells Dysart that he hasn’t ridden since. Dysart gives Alan a tape recorder and encourages him
to record more of his thoughts about that day on the beach.
Dysart then receives a series of visitors all of whom reveal important information; Dora tells him
about a particularly graphic image of Jesus which used to hang above Alan’s bed; “I must admit”,
she says of the picture which showed Christ loaded down with chains, “it was a little extreme.”
Frank ripped the picture down during one of their fights about religion and replaced it with a
photograph of a horse that Alan became fascinated with; “It’s most extraordinary. It comes out all
eyes,” says Dora. Dalton the stable owner (Jon Brazier),visits next and reveals that Alan got the
job at the stables through his employee, Jill Mason (Toni Potter), and that he always suspected
Alan of secretly taking the horses out at night and riding them. Frank Strang is the final visitor and
he tells Dysart how he discovered Alan reciting a biblical style genealogy whilst kneeling in front
of the horse picture and beating himself with a coat hanger; ‘Equus - son of Fleckwus – son of
Neckwus’
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Dysart instantly understands that the ‘Ek’ of Alan’s nightmares is Equus. Frank also tells Dysart
that on the night he attacked the horses, Alan was on a date with a girl.
Listening to the tape Dysart learns that Alan found his first horse ride sexy, and also that he
thought that the horse spoke to him. In their next session he asks Alan about his relationship with
Jill Mason and discovers how the pair first met and about Alan’s first day at the stables when he
was clearly excited by being around the horses. However, when the doctor starts to question his
feelings for Jill, Alan becomes enraged; “Nosey Parker! That’s all you are! Bloody Nosey Parker!
Just like Dad. On and on and bloody on! Tell me, tell me, tell me! Answer this. Answer that. Never
stop!”
Alan begins to question Dysart about his own marriage, suggesting that Dysart & his wife never
have sex. This unsettles Dysart because Alan has touched a nerve and he complains to Hesther
about his sterile marriage and frustration with the lack of passion and worship in his own life.
Dysart tries hypnosis on Alan and encourages him to act out his secret night time horse rides.
As the first act closes Alan rides Nugget and brings his inner world of worship to life in an
overwhelming display of ritual and passion.
ACT TWO
The second act opens like the first, with the intimate image of boy embracing horse and Dysart
delivers another monologue, revealing that he is questioning his own ability to treat Alan; “Yet if I
don’t know – if I can never know – then what am I doing here?”
The nurse rushes in to tell him that Alan is in a terrible fight with his mother. Dora tells the doctor
that she thinks Alan has the Devil in him. Afterwards an angry Alan denies everything he told
Dysart under hypnosis (the ride with Nugget). He does suggest, however, that he might reveal
more of his secrets if he were given a ‘truth drug’. Talking to Hesther, Dysart feels very reluctant
to cure Alan, admiring the passion in the boy’s life and not wanting to deny him the worship he
has created.
Alan later admits that what he said under hypnosis was true and that he understands why he is
being treated. Feeling pleased that he has gained his trust; Dysart tries a placebo truth drug, an
aspirin, in a session when Alan acts out the events of the night at the stables. He goes on a date
with Jill Mason, who takes him to see a pornographic movie and when he sees a naked woman
for the first time he is aroused. He is shocked however to be found at the movie by his father and
even more shaken by the fact that his father is there too. After Frank Strang confronts the
teenagers Alan realizes two things; he understands that his father is just like any other man and
like him, has a secret life and he realises that he is very attracted to Jill and wants to be with her.
He walks her home and accepts her invitation to go off together, but is disturbed when she
suggests that they go to the stables. Once there, the young couple undress but despite Jill’s
encouragement Alan cannot bring himself to go further with her because of the proximity of the
horses. He can hear the disapproval of Equus. Alan orders Jill out of the stables and then blinds
the horses in a frenzy.
Alan is spent at the end of this session, leaving Dysart to have the final comment. He is in an
increasing state of turmoil and laments that although he has finally encouraged Alan to face the
truth and thereby offered him some relief from the anguish of Equus, he has also begun to
extinguish any passion, inspiration and creativity that the boy possesses. Dysart ends the play as
he began, directly addressing the audience, but his self-doubt has turned to desperation and self
loathing;
‘There is now, in my mouth, this sharp chain. And it never comes out’.
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HISTORY OF THE PLAY
Shaffer based the play on an allegedly true story he was
told by a friend about a young boy who blinded a stable of
horses. Shaffer never found out any details about the true
events but he says he wrote Equus to “create a mental
world in which the deed could be made comprehensible”.
After premiering at the Old Vic theatre in London in 1973,
the play went on to win the 1975 Tony Award and New
York Drama Critic’s Circle Award for Best Play in the same
year.
Equus ran for more than one thousand performances in
New York and is considered a modern classic. The
combination of expressionistic theatrical elements (the
highly stylised chorus of masked horses, the ‘boxing-ring’
set, the nudity) was considered ground-breaking over thirty
years ago.
The original national theatre production by John
Alan riding nugget – John Dexter production 1973
Dexter was very powerful and affected subsequent
productions of the play for years after. (Colin McColl)
Critics praised Shaffer’s bold mixture of dramatic genres; mystery/psychological thriller, Greek
tragedy (the cathartic events that take place in Alan’s journey and the Horse Chorus) and also a
contemporary examination of mental illness. Echoes of the play can be found in everything from
Thomas Harris’ The Silence of the Lambs to The Sopranos where the detective-protagonist must
face his own demons in order to help his client.
PASSAGE OF TIME
Equus combines a main plot that unfolds in the present with repeated flashbacks of past events
and memories. Most of the therapy sessions happen in the present, as do some of Dysart’s
conversations with Hesther and his monologues, but Alan’s childhood memories, the visits from
various characters to Dysart, Dysart’s visits to the family home and the inevitable re-enactment of
the night in the stables are flashbacks. Sometimes these are presented as brief vignettes that are
woven into a present-time scene. When Dysart is telling Hesther about Alan’s nightmares in the
present, for example, the Nurse appears to Dysart in the past and tells him about Alan screaming
out ‘Ek’ in his sleep. Hesther, not Dysart, asks ‘Ek?’, but the nurse responds to Dysart, ‘Yes
Doctor. Ek.’ Similarly, during the scene when Dysart visits Alan’s parents and learns about the
boy’s childhood fascination with horses, Alan in the present is lying in his hospital bed, but he
takes part in his mother’s memories by becoming his childhood self in the scene.
Because scenes in the past and present overlap many times, the actors move from one part of
the stage to another to bring to life these memories. In the original production the full cast sat on
benches onstage throughout the production, allowing them to easily slip from one scene and part
of the stage to another. In his production, however, Director Colin McColl has retained a sparse
environment for the story to unfold in, but has chosen to move away from this device:
I always wanted the focus to be on Dysart and Alan so I moved on from the initial
idea of having all the cast sitting on stage all the time ( actors hate it anyway - they like to
get back to the dressing room and gossip about the audience, about what auditions are
coming up about who’s having an affair with whom ). Dysart is never off stage - so it’s
necessary to pay careful attention to the pacing and energy of the play – so Peter Elliott
doesn’t burn out too soon – and to ensure that other actors bring a new burst of energy
on for him to keep the momentum going.
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THEMES
Colin McColl discusses the central theme he identified in his approach to presenting Equus:
I was interested in the idea of worship and Dysart’s dilemma in treating Alan
Strang. The more he learns about Alan (through the therapy process) the more he comes
to realise that he has no real worship in his own life. The line from the play, “Can you think
of anything worse you can do to anyone than take away their worship?” resonates for me
when I think of American troops in Iraq. The first (and one of the most devastating) things
they do to Muslim prisoners is to deny them the right to worship their religion. Of course
the play has many other themes to explore and that’s what makes it such a rich text.
Worship and Religion are themes continually explored throughout the play. Dysart’s dreadful
dilemma is that the religion and passion he admires in Alan has led directly to the blinding of six
horses. Alan has created his own religion, informed by the tales of Christ’s crucifixion, bible
stories from his mother and even the ‘extreme’ crucifixion image that used to hang at the end of
his bed. His religion is also informed by pivotal childhood experiences, like his first exhilarating
ride on the horse, and the horse picture that replaces the crucifixion in his bedroom. He has
invented both the language and sacraments of his horse-god worship, the bridle & bit becomes
the ‘chinkle-chankle’ and he puts ‘sandals of majesty’ on the Nugget as he prepares for the ritual
of their nighttime rides. When he leads Nugget to the field, he calls it his place of ‘Ha Ha’:
Dora:
Alan (responding):
Dora (to Alan):
Alan:
Dora:
Alan (trumpeting):
The book of Job. Such a noble passage. You know (quoting) ‘Hast thou
given the horse strength?”
‘Hast thou clothed his neck with thunder?’
‘The glory of his nostrils are terrible’
‘He swallows the ground with fierceness and rage!’
‘He saith amongst the trumpets –‘
‘Ha! Ha!’
In the field, Alan takes off all his clothes and displays himself naked to the horse. He wears what
he calls a ‘sacred stick’ (‘my manbit’) in his mouth, while he rides. He offers Nugget a lump of
sugar calling it his ‘last supper’. And at home he recites a biblical genealogy whilst kneeling in
front of the picture of the horse in his bedroom and beating himself with a coat hanger; “Equus,
son of Fleckwus, son of Neckwus…”
The presence of ancient gods or god-like figures also permeates the play. Dysart dreams of
wearing a ‘broad gold mask, like the mask
Mask of Agamemnon
of Agamemnon’ in his dream and later he
reveals his passion for ancient, pagan
Greek society and his frustration with his
controlled life.
Greek culture embraced many gods, who
they believed influenced various facets of
their lives, including the weather,
harvests, health, love and war. Dysart
discusses his passion for these gods with
Hesther and laments that all of his travels
in Greece have been organized down to
every detail.
Most visibly, the horse chorus recalls the masked chorus of ancient Greek theatre, which
traditionally served to pass comment on the action of the play.
Other themes explored in Equus include sex and sexuality, adolescence, sanity and insanity and
personal freedom versus normality.
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SET DESIGN
The set design is minimal and abstract and therefore open enough to reflects many of the key
themes of Equus The Greek gods are referenced in the six metre high corrugated iron walls that
encircle the stage and dwarf the actors (the mortals) and combined with the concrete stage floor
the set also resembles a Greek temple and even a ritualistic altar.
The chorus of horses enters the space through the back wall, which separates and opens up (like
a stable door) whilst shafts of light come through it. The height of these walls and the light coming
through them emphasise the god-like
quality of the horses in Alan’s mind.
In other ways the set design
underlines the point of view of the
central characters; Dysart is the
character who directly addresses the
audience and provides details that
assist them to understand what is
happening in the play. In this way
Dysart is like a detective unraveling
the mystery and sharing his
discoveries with the audience.
Colin McColl and set designer John
Parker were influenced by the sense
of Dysart reading through his notes as
he remembers the events. They were
also interested in getting inside
Dysart’s mind and the set also reflects this. They came up with a space for the Equus story to
unfold in that suggests states of mind, rather than locations. Six metre high walls of corrugated
iron surround the space in a semi-circular configuration. The floor is concrete. The sterile quality
of the design reflects the regimentation of Dysart’s mind – the very lack of passion and
spontaneity that he so envies in Alan – and it also serves to suggest an asylum, a padded cell,
the stables, a cinema (retro art deco) and even a slaughterhouse.
LIGHTING and SOUND
LIGHTING
Lighting Designer Philip Dexter has created an
industrial feel, intending to emphasise the sterile
aspect of Dysart’s state of mind and also to
suggest the clinical environment of the
psychiatric hospital. The most dramatic lighting
changes occur,when the horses appear, and
Dexter introduces vast shafts of light in order to
create a god-like atmosphere and to suggest
Alan’s state of mind whenever he is near the
horses. When they are not entering the space in
this ‘god-light’ the horse chorus is largely in
shadow.
SOUND
Sound Designer John Gibson has created a unique environment of sound that he describes as;
“like entering a world.” This ‘soundscape’ is designed to evoke a state of mind – most especially
Alan’s mind, and is made up of three distinct elements. The first is a score of pre-recorded
classical music, the second is recorded sound effects that have been amplified or treated with
delays and the third is organic sounds (like the horse’s hooves and the actor’s footsteps on the
concrete floor) that are heard by the audience in real-time, as they happen onstage.
Naturalistic sound effects would seem out of place in a production that is so minimal and abstract.
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THE HORSES
(Steven A Davis, Hera Dunleavy, Jon Brazier, Chad Hampson, Rudi Vodanovich and Nathan
Whitaker)
One of the special things about Equus is the totally unique way the horses are portrayed
as actors – not the usual pantomime back of the donkey horse – but a lyrical and
evocative suggestion of the power of the horse.
Colin McColl
One of the most striking elements of the original production was the chorus of actors as horses.
Shaffer is very clear in his description of how the horses should be presented:
The actors should never crouch on all fours or even bend forward. They must always
stand upright…as if the body of the horse extended invisibly behind them.
In the original staging they wore non-naturalistic masks of leather and wire and Shaffer states in
his introduction to the published play that ‘no attempt should be made’ to conceal the actors
heads. He goes on to say that;
Any literalism which could suggest the cosy familiarity of a domestic animal…should be
avoided.
Critics at the time commented on the powerful presence of the horse chorus; ‘these masked
presences standing in the shadows of the stable manage to suggest the eeriness and power
of…the old hoofed god”
(The New Yorker 1975)
It is interesting to contrast the way the horse chorus were costumed and presented in 1973 with
Colin McColl’s 2005 production.
COSTUME
Theatrical sensibilities have changed since the 1970s and horses in brown velour track
suits with realistic looking wire horse heads seem funny to us today.
Colin McColl
In the original production the horses were costumed in chestnut brown velvet tracksuits, four inch
high ‘hooves’, gloves and masks made of leather & wire.
Costume designer
Elizabeth Whiting
wanted to move away
from these original
ideas, to bring the
production up to date
for a 21st century
audience.
In her initial costume
sketches she looked at
exposed flesh, bare
chests, strapping that
suggested bridles, builtup shoes (called
‘buskins’) and a helmetlike headdress instead
of a mask.
Eventually the headpieces were discarded
completely.
Horse Mask – leather and silver wire – John Dexter production 1973
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The helmets went through two further permutations before they disappeared.
Shona worked with minimal movements to create the horse persona using the built up
shoe we had provided as the only costume key. Some time in the early design discussions
the idea of the horses wearing as little as possible was mooted and it is interesting to see
that we have moved back to this.
Elizabeth Whiting
Initial Costume Sketches (Elizabeth Whiting)
Actors rehearsing in built-up shoes – ‘buskins’
SEE FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES FOR SHAFFER’S DESCRIPTION OF THE HORSES
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MOVEMENT
In the first week of rehearsal the cast with the Director and
Movement Designer (Shona McCullagh) visited the ranch of horse
wrangler Jools Topp to observe horses first-hand and gain some
expert advice on horse behaviour. The field trip was to prove
influential in the development of the choreography of the horse
chorus.
Six actors have to play horses in Equus. How do you do that?
Shona and I decided that we must get the essence of horses and not
try and portray them in anyway realistically. When we watched Jools
Topp work with her horses, she explained that actually horses are
quite still a lot of the time!
(Colin McColl)
I found the research we did at Jools Topp’s natural
horsemanship ranch invaluable. I was hugely influenced by the
intelligence, body language and mana of the animals and this in turn
influenced how we approached playing them. The actors had to be
very careful with their facial expressions not to belittle the horse’s
intelligence and we had to find a way to be as beautiful as the horses
really are. This is what Alan saw in them and I wanted the audience to
really see this too.
(Shona McCullagh)
All photos this page - Horse Chorus in
rehearsal
Shona McCullagh holds a unique position in New Zealand as an
outstanding dancer/ choreographer, dance filmmaker and educator.
She is a NZ Arts Foundation Laureate and aside from her enormous
contribution to the development of live dance in New Zealand, she
has also recently created choreography for three feature films,
Perfect Creature, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and King
Kong.
Initially Shona wanted to develop the horse’s characters and their
relationship with Alan Strang by creating an “authentic, organic and
subtle palette of movement”. At least one of the actors, Chad
Hampson is a professional dancer and other horse chorus actors
were cast also for their movement skills.
Shona then became more attracted to the
idea of stillness and found “the flinching of the horses flesh” was the best
way to represent them. The actors developed a language of movement
that recalls the flinching, head tossing and ground stamping of horses.
There was one main practical consideration in working with the actors as
horses:
The height of the buskins meant that any fast movement had
the potential to look silly. So the costumes influenced a semi-slow
motion quality to the movement. Posture for the actors became very
important – the upper body, arms, neck and head has to represent
the whole of the horses lean and muscular neck and torso. Any
slackening of the body instantly dissolves the character of the horse.
SEE FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES ON CHORUS-WORK
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INTERVIEW WITH KIP CHAPMAN (ALAN STRANG)
Following his graduation from UNITEC School of Performing and Screen Arts in
2002, Kip has appeared on our screens in Shortland Street and Serial Killers, and
on the stage in a wide variety of performances including Hamlet, Macbeth, The
Talented Mr Ripley, his solo show Arohatearoa, A Clockwork Orange, and
Downstages’ Big River for which he received the Chapman Tripp award for Best
Male Newcomer.
Is it intimidating working with such experienced actors?
The role is more intimidating than the cast! In general the roles I am
taking now are more intimidating
What have been your greatest challenges playing Alan?
The journey the character goes on and the range of emotion & experience in that journey.
He goes from being closed and very contained to very out there. It’s extreme. The range moves
from pedestrian to humiliation to anger to horror to hurt and sadness.
Experiencing the different levels of reality he goes through is challenging. But the writing is very
sharp and precise – I like that and my training has helped me with that, I am sharp & precise.
How do you prepare for the nudity in the play?
At first I didn’t think about it, but now half-way through the rehearsal process I think I should be
thinking about it! I’ve never done it before. I’m eating less! Maybe I’ll get drunk the night before!
It’s actually harder playing this character and approaching the range of emotions that he goes
through, than even thinking about appearing naked. The character is the real challenge. In this
play the nudity serves the story and that’s really important. I guess nudity is still shocking to
audiences here today, and I think it’s important that the audience is confronted by the scene.
In the end - boom! You just do it!
I can think of acting jobs I’d be less comfortable with than doing this nude scene, doing an ad
where I’m promoting some multinational company I don’t like, for example. Which is worse?
Is it a physically demanding role?
Yes! We are rehearsing in a space with a concrete
floor – which is good because the stage will be
concrete too. And I already have aches and pains
from working on the paving stones in bare feet – I’ve
got sore feet. Alan falls over a lot.
Did you take a physical approach to playing a 17
year old character?
No, my approach is to get into Alan’s head and
understand his knowledge and the realms of his
experience, what he does & doesn’t know at
seventeen.
Kip Chapman and Toni Potter (Jill Mason)
in rehearsal
How did you get into acting?
Through school! I went to Christ’s College in Christchurch and we always did lots of shows –
about six a year. And I was in the Cathedral choir. I knew I wanted to be a performer and my
parents encouraged me to go to Broadcasting School in Christchurch. I thought this was my only
option until I saw a dress rehearsal of Trainspotting at The Court Theatre and heard the actors
relating to each other just like my friends and I did when we were doing our shows at school.
I realised then that being a professional actor wasn’t a mystery it was something I was already
comfortable with, so I applied to Drama school (UNITEC).I was lucky because I was totally
supported by my school, teachers & my family.
Kip considers the highlight of his career so far to be the fact that he has had the opportunity to
work on such a wide range of projects and with so many different people.
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FOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES
DISCUSSION
Read Shaffer’s description of the horses in Equus published in the Penguin edition.
THE HORSES
The actors wear track-suits of chestnut velvet. On their feet are light strutted
hooves, about four inches high, set on metal horse-shoes. On their hands are
gloves of the same colour. On their heads are tough masks made of alternating
bands of silver wire and leather; their eyes are outlined by leather blinkers. The
actor’s own heads are seen beneath them: no attempt should be made to
conceal them.
Any literalism which could suggest the cosy familiarity of a domestic animal –
or worse, a pantomime horse – should be avoided. The actors should never
crouch on all fours , or even bend forward. They must always – except on the
one occasion where Nugget is ridden – stand upright, as if the body of the horse
extended invisibly behind them. Animal effect must be created entirely
mimetically, through the use of legs, knees, neck, face, and the turn of the head
which can move the mask above it through all the gestures of equine wariness
and pride. Great care must also be taken that the masks are put on before the
audience with very precise timing – the actors watching each other, so that the
masking has an exact and ceremonial effect.
•
Discuss the similarities and differences in the presentation of the horses in the
original 1973 production and Auckland Theatre Company’s 2005 production of
Equus.
•
Why do you think the director made decisions to change the way some elements
are staged in this production from the way they are written in the script?
•
How does the concept of the horses (costume and movement) relate to other
production ideas (set, lighting, sound) to form an overall concept for the Auckland
Theatre Company’s production?
Horse Chorus in rehearsal
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FOLLOWFOLLOW-UP ACTIVITIES
CHORUS
There are many useful approaches to exploring chorus work with a group. Here are some
examples of physical exercises introduced through games. It is important when embarking on any
ensemble work to build and generate a strong sense of trust and of working together.
Use these exercises to warm-up and explore the horse chorus and then try applying these
techniques to preparing a scene from Equus.
GAMES
1. Lines, Dots and Clumps. To music. Everyone starts on their own in space. They are a
dot. They may at anytime move next to someone else, or a number of other people, to
form a line. They may move at any time and bunch up with any number of people to form
a clump. Lines and Clumps echo the movements of those in the line or clump. Leaders
are established and then move on. The movement is fluid and people can change from
lines, dots and clumps as often as they like.
2. Crossing the room #1. In groups of five or more find a space in the room and knot
yourselves up into a crazy position. Try and cross the room together without coming
undone.
3. Crossing the room #2. Cross the room without losing physical contact with the group, but
only one person is allowed to move at a time.
4. Crossing the room #3. Cross the room as a group with at least two people not being
allowed to touch the floor at all. The rest of the group isn’t allowed to use their hands or
arms to carry them.
EXERCISES
1. Flocking. In groups of threes move together through the space as a group – without
talking – and with one person leading. Don’t move as a line, but rather as a clump, and
stay physically as close together as you can without falling over or bumping into each
other.
2. Change leader and change direction, whilst staying close together. Keep up with the
changes.
3. Experiment with moving in different speeds and rhythms and change configurations
(clumps, lines, single file etc) and leaders as often as you like.
4. Experiment with bringing animal qualities into your flock. Change or extend the
movement of the animal with each leader – use every level of the space and experiment
with being still as a group (listening, waiting, watching), as well as traveling.
5. Bring sound into your animal explorations. Chorus the sounds of the leader as well as the
movements.
6. Split the whole group up and have half the group watch the others. Listen to their
feedback, what worked, what was exciting, when was the chorus powerful, weak etc.
7. Now start again, this time working as horses. Go through the exploration process, change
leaders often, until you find sound, movement and still moments that are working for the
group. Move across the space in your horse chorus, focus on keeping close together,
listening to each other, trusting, keeping up with each new offer.
8. Now try working as ‘god-like’ horses, as in Equus, keeping upright and working with the
humming sound described in the script.
9. Look at the Act One, Scene 16 in Equus, when Alan sees the horses in the stable for the
first time. Use your explorations to help you prepare this scene. Alan perceives the
horses to be god-like. How can you chorus Alan’s view of the horses and also show us a
realistic group of horses?
AUCKLAND THEATRE COMPANY EDUCATION UNIT TEACHER’S PACK EQUUS
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REFERENCES
Other plays by Peter Shaffer include:
The Salt Land (1954)
Five Finger Exercise (1959)
The Royal Hunt of the Sun (1963)
Amadeus(1979)
Lettice & Lovage (1987)
There are several useful websites for Equus research:
www.educeth.ch/english/readinglist/shafferp
www.penguinputnam.com
The University of Indiana in Bloomington has some interesting images and
information about their production of Equus (2000). Go to www.iub.edu search for
‘theatre’ and in the theatre section search ‘Equus’.
REVIEWS
Copies of press reviews for Equus are available from Auckland Theatre Company.
Please contact the ATC Education Unit for further information on this production, the
teacher’s pack or any other queries relating to ATC’s Education Programme.
Lynne Cardy
Education Unit Coordinator
09 309 0390x67 (DDI)
09 309 0391 (Fax)
AUCKLAND THEATRE COMPANY EDUCATION UNIT TEACHER’S PACK EQUUS