Elephant’s Graveyard: March to Murder

By Kayla N. Tyler

EAST PEORIA — “There was a town. There was a circus. There was a railroad. There was an elephant.”
Illinois Central College Theatre Program is currently performing George Brant’s “Elephant’s Graveyard,” directed by Robin Berkley. It is based on the true, tragic tale of a traveling circus elephant.

In September of 1916, in the small Tennessee town of Erwin, Mary, an elephant performing in the Sparks World Famous Circus, was hung after killing her trainer. It was America’s first documented hanging of an elephant.

Difficult as it may have been, the Illinois Central College Theatre Program beautifully and creatively recreated this sad tale.

The play began with the dimming of lights and a faint fog filling the air, as the Hungry Townsperson, played by actor Brenton Pfaff, entered the stage. He walked about the stage, looking about vacantly, before performing his somber, harmonic song, setting the tone of the play.

“It was not what I was expecting,” one member of the audience said, “but it was pretty good.”

The story was told through a series of flashback monologues, with each of the thirteen characters telling their own side of one story — the tragedy of Mary. One of the greatest successes of this play was the raw emotion depicted by each of the actors.

“Each character seemed to encompass a unique characteristic of human nature. Each character seemed to struggle with their own individual feelings of insignificance. One of the most convincing performances was the trainer,” another audience member said regarding actor Ryan Groves.

“The most difficult part (for me) was capturing the complex combinations of emotions that pertained to each character,” said student actor Bryce Stillson, a newcomer to the Illinois Central College stage.

Acquiring the attention of the audience was a task in the beginning as the play was a bit slow to start. The first several minutes consisted of silent stares and aimless wandering; something that was difficult to appreciate until the conclusion of the play.

As the production continued it truly began to blossom into a very extraordinary piece.

The play progressed as the emotion of the characters intensified. It began with the excitement of the town as it prepared for the arrival of the circus, which quickly turned to horror and outrage at the death of Red, Mary’s trainer. It was not until the end, however, that the emotion truly peaked; it was not until the dysphoria in the death of Mary that this performance truly seized the audience.

“I hope that the audience can see that a play doesn’t have to be what you think — that a story can be told in many different ways. And, boy, was this a unique way to tell a tragic, true story,” Stillson said.

Elephant’s Graveyard will next be showing at the ICC Performing Arts Center on Friday, February 27 and Saturday, February 28 at 7:30 p.m., as well as Sunday, March 1 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $5 for students and $7 for the general public.