They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
Duration
120mins, with an interval
Genre
Drama
Age Suitability
18+
Language
English
Synopsis
Desperate people, desperate times. In the midst of the Great Depression, with no work and little to eat, an entire generation sought out the dance marathon as a means of survival. The concept of the marathon: couples dance until they drop. The desire of the marathon is the guaranteed three meals a day, a free, dry place to sleep, free showers and the huge payoff of $1500 to the winner.
Brought together by chance, Gloria and Robert test the limits of friendship and physical endurance as the manipulative contest promoter pushes them to the limits of their existence. The audience watches, the clock ticks on… Who will survive?
“They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?” is a powerful drama revealing the exploitation of a starving generation by a fad so grotesque it was later banned by the law.
This production performed for one night only at the finals of Thespo 2001. Shaun Williams was nominated for the Best Supporting Actor category for his portrayal of Rocky Gravo.
Credits
| Based on a novel by | Horace McCoy |
| Adapted from a screenplay by | Robert E. Thompson |
| Adapted for the Stage and Directed by | Akarsh Khurana |
| Featuring | Shaun Williams, Natasha Kanagat, Aditya Apte, Ruchi Doshi, Karan Makhija, Priyanka Varma, Adnan Nalwalla, Anisha Sridhar, Amit Thakkar and Apoorva Kale |
| Lights and Sound by | Emanuel Battise, Rohan Battise, Alston Antao |
| Production by | Manasi Apte |
| Production assisted by | Deepali Goswami, Karishma Gurtu |
| Choreographed by | Raynah Fernandes, Carl Pereira |
Performance Dates
| Opened | December 2001 |
| Number of Shows | 1 |
Show Requirements
| Team Size | Text |
| Venue suitability | Text |
| Venue availability | Text |
| Tech requirements | Text |
| Local assistance | Text |