Daniel Neuman and Hallie Gnatovich block out a scene from Equus.
			Winter Term Equus Production Will Play in February Photographs and text by Sue Kropp
	Mirla Agnir, visiting assistant professor of theater and dance, rehearses with the actors who will portray horses in Equus. Press Release from the Theater and Dance Program about Venus and Equus		JANUARY 16, 2001--According to Rob Ross, a senior from Oakland, California, his Winter Term project is a "psychological whydunnit." Equus, Ross's second Oberlin theater production, will debut in Hall Auditorium Wednesday, February 7, at 8:00 P.M. "Equus is the epitome of everything that I think theater should be," says Ross. "It combines realism and ritual, it asks questions that can't be ignored, and--at the same time--it provides a visual and intellectual spectacle for the audience." The play's story line is revealed immediately after the curtain rises: Alan, the main character, has blinded five horses from a local stable with a metal spike. His psychologist, Dr. Dysart, must discover why Alan mutilated the horses. Throughout the play, Dysart grapples with self-doubt; he sees passion in Alan, and questions his right to expunge the passion in order to return Alan to "normalcy." "Equus is not a comfortable play to see," says Ross. "But I don't want people to be comfortable. I want the production to spark debate--to spark personal and public inquiry." During the play, Alan develops and crafts a religion around horses, transferring his existing religious beliefs onto Equus, the horse god. "Alan sees horses as the physical incarnation of his religious beliefs," says Ross. Five actors are rehearsing for their roles as horses. They have observed the animals at a local stable, hoping their observations will lend realism to their performances. "We visited the stable so that the actors could get used to horses," Ross says. "The visit allowed Alan (Dan Neuman, a first-year student from St. Louis) to develop his character, and Jill the stable hand (Hallie Gnatovich, a first-year student from Lexington, Massachusetts) to learn how to groom a horse." Ross, who acted in a high-school production of Equus, is enjoying his chance to view the play from a new perspective. "At it's core, Equus is a truly fascinating story that stays with you," Ross says. "It's the type of theater that I enjoy doing."
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