LANCASTER, Pa. — Beneath the surface of a stable boy's obsession lies a disturbing mental health struggle in "Equus."
"It's a subject people really don't want to dig deep into, but I think they need to," said Kevin Earley, who portrays the man attempting to treat the young boy in the show.
Cast members admit that "Equus" is a think piece. Part psychological thriller and part mental health study, Earley finds moments of levity in the production.
"A lot of people have preconceived notions of how deep and dark it is, but there's a lot of humor in there as well," Earley explained.
Earley, who plays Martin Dysart, discusses themes in "Equus" and how it addresses mental health in the video below:
The show is performed in the round with audience members on all sides of the stage. This more cinematic experience, challenging in and of itself, proves doubly so because of some of the more explicit moments of the show -- which is not recommended for those under 17 years old.
But for the actor dealing with those moments the most, portraying the young boy has been handled in stride.
"[Fulton Theatre] brought in an intimacy coordinator. It was challenging at the beginning, just personally; this is very vulnerable," said Andres Montejo, who portrays Alan Strang. "Quite literally taking the baggage off. But this story is not about that whatsoever -- it's a layer to it."
Through that vulnerability that audience members will see in full, the journey proved worth it for cast members who hope it does so for the audience as well.
"If there's a character people would jump to judge, it's this one," Montejo said. "Hopefully when audiences leave, maybe they hate him in the beginning but they love him and understand."
Performances of "Equus" run through March 3. For more information, visit the Fulton Theatre's website.