The Acclaim Awards recognize lead Cary Davenport as Alan Strang, and the ensemble of New Edgecliff Theatre's EQUUS for outstanding performance in an independent production. Director Alan Patrick Kenny, Lighting Designer Glen Goodwin and Sound Designer Paul Lieber are also recognized for their work in the staging of this dark drama.

EQUUS by Peter Shaffer continues at the Columbia Performance Center through Oct. 17. The play concerns Dr. Martin Dysart, a psychiatrist, who is confronted with Alan Strang, a boy who has blinded six horses in a violent fit of passion – a passion as foreign to Dysart as the act itself. To the boy's parents, it is a hideous mystery – Alan has always adored horses. For Dysart, already riddled with self-doubt, it opens a psychological Pandora's box that leads both doctor and patient to a complex and disturbingly dramatic confrontation. This production does contain nudity and is intended for mature audiences only. Additional information is available at CinStages.com.

The Acclaim Awards celebrate local theater by awarding outstanding work and supporting a variety of grant initiatives for area theater artists and educators including local Guest Equity Artist contracts, Theatre Educator Awards and Rising Stars.

Please save the date: May 24, the Acclaim Awards Gala at the Aronoff Center for the Arts to celebrate the 2009-2010 season, hosted by the Cincinnati Arts Association.

For more information on the Acclaim Awards, please visit www.CinStages.com/Acclaim.

CinStages.com is an initiative of Acclaim Awards, with support of Cincinnati.Com.