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Sunil Shankar staged Peter Schaffer’s renowned 1973 play Equus in 2012 to a great reception. Five years later, he is set to bring it back for the local Karachi audience.
Schaffer’s play tells the story of a psychiatrist who attempts to treat a 17-year-old boy with a pathological religious fascination with horses. The boy has blinded six horses, and in trying to understand his motives, the psychiatrist finds himself questioning his own purpose of existence.
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Shankar told The Express Tribune that it wasn’t easy translating the play into Urdu. “There are so many Greek references, and the play incorporates a lot of Biblical references too. It wasn’t like Qusoorwaar (Shankar’s adaptation of Reginald Rose’s 12 Angry Men), where we could localise the story and add in Pakistani elements. It was difficult translating it, so Nazarul Hasan (who co-translated the play) and I didn’t try to adapt it to Pakistani tastes and have kept it faithful to the original.”
He noted in the press release that revisiting the script in 2017 has been an experience in itself. “I began to wonder about what we perceive our ‘normality’ to be and why. Who has defined it for us? I am grateful to my cast for allowing me to take them through an arduous journey questioning the extent of what ‘passion’ can lead to. Where does it end? Should it end? Is complete dedication and loss in one’s passion a form of madness? Who defines that? Why?”
Equus deals with several philosophical and religious themes. As to what kind of reception he expects this time around and whether it could come off as a controversial enactment, Shankar was optimistic. “The last time we staged Equus, I would say calling the response overwhelming would be an understatement. I was surprised to see that people were indulged in this kind of heavy, serious topic. They absolutely loved it and that’s why they have wanted me to do this play again for long,” he said.
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“Meanwhile, the audience’s approach to theatre has grown. This is what I have seen over the past 10 years of performing theatre here. I expect we will have a good run this time around too.”
As far as the play’s treatment goes, Shankar noted it will be similar to the last time’s. “My work is more cinematic. And this play also has strong visual language. It has a suitable set to match the play’s sensibilities, as Equus is an abstract play presented in a very realistic manner. This time around, the world of Equus is somewhere in between dream and reality. It is a tantalising collision of both worlds and the result is a surreal journey through the psychiatrist’s questions of the self.” he said, adding that Natasha Humera Ejaz has composed the background music for the play.
Equus stars Ali Junejo, Nazar-ul-Hasan, Meher Jafri, Natasha, Saad Zameer Freedi, Shama Ansari, Kashif Hussain and others in an ensemble cast, and will be staged from October 19 till October 29 at National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa).
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