Anglia Ruskin University

Peter Shaffer's landmark play Equus comes to the Mumford Theatre in March 2012, in a production by London Classic Theatre. Verity Sanderson, the Theatre's Marketing and Box Office Administrator, spoke to the play's director Michael Cabot about what audiences can expect from this haunting, and at times disturbing play about troubled teenager Alan Strang, his psychiatrist, and a shocking incident involving the horses to which Alan is so devoted.


Why did you become a director?

I started directing at University. I originally thought I wanted to be an actor, but once I'd caught the directing bug, I didn't really look back. I followed University with a one year postgraduate directing course at Drama Studio London and set up my own company soon after. I've been doing it now for nearly 20 years professionally, so the reasons change over time, I think. Certainly being involved in producing my own work has taken over much more in recent times. I get a lot of satisfaction from the journey of choosing a play, putting a team together and seeing it through until opening night.

What attracted you to directing Equus?

I've always loved the play. I've wanted to direct it for more than ten years, since seeing a production in London in the 90s. It's such a great opportunity to take an audience on a journey, both in terms of telling a story and the theatrical challenges of the piece. I also knew I wanted to do something very different with the play. Shaffer's published stage directions are incredibly detailed and give a real flavour of the original NT production, but I wanted to be free to literally start from scratch. My designer, Kerry Bradley, had some fantastic ideas about the setting and creating the horses, so we kept challenging each other to keep our choices as fresh and theatrical as possible. The end result is something I'm very happy with.

What style best describes the work you direct?

I think simplicity is key to my approach. I enjoy creating pictures on stage, especially with a play like Equus that allows you to be bold and theatrical, but ultimately my focus is always the actors. It's so important to get the right people together. Especially with this play, when the entire cast are onstage throughout. I like actors who have strong presence and work from a truthful base. I believe that good theatre is actually fairly simple to achieve, as long as you trust the people you are working with and let them contribute. Give good actors a good script and allow them to follow their instincts. Part of the job is knowing when not to say anything in the rehearsal room. As I've developed as a director, I think judging when to step in is one of the things I've become much better at. You have to trust your instinct.

What is your biggest directing achievement to date?

I think this production has, without question, been the most challenging I have worked on so far and the response has been incredible. We've had some fabulous feedback about the show, right from the start. Sometimes, even on day one of a new project, there's something in the air, a feeling that what you're working on might be quite special. This was certainly the case with Equus. And it has felt like that all the way through to opening night and beyond. First and foremost, I'm blessed with a great cast who are working really hard. But as much as I'm delighted with this show, in many ways, I'm also very proud that London Classic Theatre has come as far as it has and continues to prosper. Since we began touring in 2000, our work has been seen in over 150 theatres in the UK and Ireland. We receive no funding at all, so it's been quite tough at times, but we have continued to grow and keep challenging ourselves and the work that we do, year on year.

Have you directed anything else with London Classic Theatre?

I've directed all thirty-two LCT productions, from our very first in 1993 on the London Fringe in a tiny 70-seater theatre.

Do you have any links to Cambridge?

I first visited the city in 1988, when my production of The Tempest reached the finals of the National Student Drama Festival. The same summer, I spent a wonderful month rehearsing a production of Measure for Measure in Cambridge before heading off to the Edinburgh Festival as an actor for the first (and last) time. I had a very small part in the play, so spent a lot of happy hours exploring the city!


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