Elephant's Graveyard
by George Brant

Name: Elephant's Graveyard
Brand: George Brant
SKU: 9780573698156
Rating: 4.11 (167 reviews)

Elephant's Graveyard Book Cover — Elephant's Graveyard Cover

Highlights

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Large Cast

Female

Male

75 mins 1910s/WWI Ensemble Cast Unit Set/Multiple Settings Period Costumes American

Synopsis

"Elephant's Graveyard is the unfortunately true story of Mary, an elephant who went berserk during a parade through the middle of a small town in Tennessee in 1916.

The townspeople demanded justice for her actions, which led to a very unfortunate set of circumstances.

The play combines historical fact and legend, exploring the deep-seated American craving for spectacle, violence and revenge."--George Brant's interview answer to Adam Szymkowicz in "I Interview Playwrights Part 48: George Brant" by Adam Szymkowicz.

Press Reviews

"The script—based on a true story about a traveling circus that, in 1916, stumbled into gory disaster in a muddy Tennessee town—is, like the best art, microscopically specific with echoes that radiate outward across time. It conjures a world with its own atmosphere and terrible internal logic. It's mesmerizing... symphonic in its emotional variations on a tragic theme. Elephant's Graveyard buzzes with truth about the consequences of misunderstanding, the invisible but enormous gap between artists and their audiences, and the infernal beauty of vaudeville."
— The Stranger, Seattle

"A theatrical masterpiece."
— Columbia City Paper

"The most striking production in the (NSDF) festival."
— Times of London

"Deeply moving...has the audience in stitches at the open and tears at the close."
— The Sun Coast

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Trainer loves his work	male	—	loves his work
Ballet Girl a showgirl in control	—	—	a showgirl in control
Tour Manager bit of a bully	—	—	bit of a bully
Strongman a proud muscleman from Europe’s far-off shores	—	—	a proud muscleman from Europe’s far-off shores
Clown a comedian with an inferiority complex	—	—	a comedian with an inferiority complex
Drummer keeps the beat	—	—	keeps the beat
Hungry Townsperson African-American, a steel-trap memory	—	—	African-American, a steel-trap memory
Marshal keeps the peace	—	—	keeps the peace
Muddy Townsperson a haunted widow	—	—	a haunted widow
Preacher doggedly hopeful	—	—	doggedly hopeful
Steam Shovel Operator looking for escape	—	—	looking for escape
Young Townsperson excitable dreamer	—	—	excitable dreamer
Guitarist/Harmonica Player sets the rhythm	—	—	sets the rhythm
Engineer confident Time is on his side	male	—	confident Time is on his side
Ringmaster obsessed with the bottom line	—	—	obsessed with the bottom line