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
John H. Shaffer John H. Shaffer John Hixon Shaffer (February 25, 1919 – September 14, 1997) was an administrator of the Federal Aviation Administration from March 24, 1969 until March 14, 1973. He was the administrator during an en-masse calling-in sick strike by air traffic controllers during 1969. In the summer Shaffer testified to a congressional committee that air traffic controllers were neither overworked nor underpaid. Shaffer's testimony increased pressure on controllers to return to their jobs. Celebrity lawyer F. Lee Bailey of the Professional Air Traffic Controllers Organization (PATCO) stated, "This guy Shaffer has got to go." The FAA and Shaffer were