Anyone that lives in the western suburbs of Chicago would know that Saint Charles is a hell of a hike for those of us that prefer to live closer to I-294 or I-355… so when a friend asked if I would be willing to accompany him to see a friend of his in this particular production I had to take a moment to think about it.

Why? Because the drive, naturally. I had no qualms about the show, casts, or production itself… but the drive was definitely a negative. Upon arrival however, my friend and I were looking forward to viewing such an intense show that really very few community groups would even consider as part of their repertoire.

From those that had the pleasure to see the show far earlier than I had, had nothing but praise for the production, so naturally I had high hopes… needless to say the cast and the production team did not disappoint. Prufrock Productions created a relatively new theatre group: Industrial Strength Theatre. From their online blog:

Finally, the bored [board] created industrial strength theatre, a not for profit, non-Equity, professional theatre group in DuPage County, whose main purpose is promoting education and exposure to the theatre arts by performing in the suburbs what is commonly called “Chicago storefront theatre”, producing the edgier works that are rarely given voice in those communities. The founding members are Bill Barry Jr (artistic director), Dennis Brown, Lisa Savegnago and Jennifer Skidgel.

Equus is more recently known as the production that had a little known movie star (Daniel Radcliffe) in the lead as the young 17-year old stable boy whose love for horses eventually led him to blind six horses in a fit of violent passion. From the original press release in regards to the production:

Dr. Martin Dysart, a child psychiatrist, is confronted with Alan Strang, a boy who has blinded six horses in a violent fit of passion. This very passion is as foreign to Dysart as the act itself. To the boy’s parents it is a hideous mystery; Alan has always adored horses. To Dysart, it is a psychological puzzle that leads both doctor and patient to a complex and disturbingly dramatic confrontation. This international success reached new acclaim in London and on Broadway when revived in 2008. Director Bill Barry Jr and members of industrial strength theatre lead the audience on this journey into the mind of a young man, whose passion and worship makes the examiner question his own life’s meaning.

The stellar casts include:

Needless to say, I was impressed with this production of Equus…
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