Peter Shaffer comedies. "The Royal Hunt of the Sun" (1964) presents the tragic conquest of Peru by the Spanish, while "Black Comedy" (1965) takes a humorous look at the antics of a group of characters feeling their way around a pitch black room — although the stage is actually flooded with light. "Equus" (1973) won Shaffer the 1975 Tony Award for Best Play as well as the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award. A journey into the mind of a seventeen-year-old stable-boy who had plunged a spike into the eyes of six horses, "Equus" ran for over 1,000 performances on Broadway. It
Peter Shaffer Bevin Boy coal miner during World War II, and took a number of jobs including bookstore clerk, and assistant at the New York Public Library, before discovering his dramatic talents. Shaffer's first play, "The Salt Land" (1954), was presented on the BBC. Encouraged by this success, Shaffer continued to write and established his reputation as a playwright in 1958, with the production of "Five Finger Exercise", which opened in London under the direction of John Gielgud and won the Evening Standard Drama Award. When "Five Finger Exercise" moved to New York City in 1959, it was equally well received and