Nottingham Playhouse Youth Theatre excel in Equus performance

Equus – a teenage boy, caught between a religious mother and an atheist father, finds friendship and companionship in horses. Then, seemingly inexplicably, he blinds the horses with a spike. To say the least, the play by Peter Shaffer is very emotionally and mentally compelling. And as for the youth theatre at Nottingham Playhouse who are currently performing Equus, all aged from 15 - 19, they all deserve a massive pat on the back! My friend and I studied the play during our A-levels and enjoyed both seeing it being performed during our studies, and performing it for our final performance piece. It is always interesting to see how different actors and directors interpret a play, so I was more than willing to see Equus at Nottingham Playhouse with my friend, Cara. Staged as if in a courtroom, using the ‘thrust’ staging method with the audience seated on three sides, I thought it was a clever decision and made us feel as if we were the jury in Alan Strang’s, the troubled teenage boy, case. When the other performers weren't in the centre, they sat at the back, as if making the fourth wall to the jury, and stayed completely in character. It really was amazing to see such young actors taking on such a challenging play. For me, the lead performer was the psychiatrist, Martin Dysart. I personally congratulated the actor afterwards and was taken back stage to hear that they had completed all rehearsals within a four week period. Jacob Seelochan, who performed as the psychiatrist, said: "After rehearsing intensely for four weeks, we are all so pleased with tonight's first performance. We've all worked so hard as a team and it has really paid off." The cast really did give it their all, and I really do applaud them. They all have a great future ahead of them in theatre! Equus is staged at Nottingham Playhouse, in the Neville Studio, until Saturday 16 August. To book your tickets, visit www.nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk or visit the box office.