Hyderabad: In light of its 60th anniversary celebrations, the Dramatic Circle Hyderabad (DCH) is set to stage Peter Shaffer’s renowned play, ‘Equus’, at Serilingampally’s Rangbhoomi Spaces on November 15 and 16.
The Tony Award-winning play, originally produced 50 years back, is directed by DCH’s celebrated artist Pranava Singhal who has been in theatre since 1981 and has directed 131 productions.
DCH’s latest gripping psychological thriller, ‘Equus,’ explores the psyche of a troubled teenager who commits a gruesome crime but questions life and societal values.
Speaking to Siasat.com Singhal said the play is a modern classic that explores love, religion, sexuality, passion, and the mundanity of life. “Equus is a compelling play which has been acted by some of the theatre greats, including Richard Burton and Peter Purr, under the Broadway and Westend productions. Renowned actor Daniel Radcliffe also played a character during its revival 15 years back,” he said.
DCH expects to captivate the audience with a performance that would include stalwarts like Ranjan Langanathan, J. M. Dwarkanath, R. P. Pachashekhar, and others. “We’re a bunch of people who’ve been acting for 25-30 years, doing great work,” proclaimed Singal.
The DCH was established in 1964 as a non-profit society by a few young aspiring students from Osmania University (OU) and Nizam College. The founding members include Bashiruddin Babukhan, who later became a cabinet minister in the third NTR ministry.
“Over the years DCH had offered quality works ranging from Indian classics to comedies to Broadway hits to absurd,” Singhal said.
With their “Newbie Program,” Singhal expects to find new promising talents through workshops and reading classes to name a few. “We induct new talents in the production either backstage or in a small role initially, where they can find their feet and can graduate from there.”
It has been cultivating a passionate theatre community in Hyderabad, grooming several talents who otherwise have a full-time job but have an immense love for theatre. “I find that even after a full day’s work when you go for your play rehearsal, all the work fatigue vanishes,” Singhal said.
The tickets are available at Bookmyshow. For students, discounted passes worth Rs 100 will be provided only at the venue. The show starts at 7:45 p.m. on both days.