Final Response to "Elephant's Graveyard"

I don’t know that the model of affirmation/questions/opinions will work (for me!) in terms of responding to your “closing-day” activities, so I think I’ll just verbally meander through some of what we discussed it class and try make my earlier articulations more specific.

What’s essential/What’s the play ABOUT

Not only do I think this play is about the way history repeats itself and reproduces violence on substituted bodies, I think it demonstrates the way violence as a “cultural truth” (to use Daniel’s words!) is remembered by the body—or certain bodies at least. This broadens up the play’s question to: What do people chose to (not) remember? What memories are cerebral, and what memories are physical? How is resistance against physical and cerebral memories different?

Going back to “what’s essential”—I completely forgot to speak up in class. The preacher’s monologue! His speech is so effective at problemitizing the “us. Vs. them”dichotomy of Erwin and the circus. As much as the play uses that dichotomy well, I particularly love those moments (such as the preacher’s monologue) in which the ability to use “us” and “them” so monolithically becomes increasingly difficult.

I really wish I had been able to see the show during New Works so that I could have experienced the drum and the costumes—I suppose I shall just wait contently until fall-time.

I’m really enjoying the strongman’s presence in the play—for reasons I stated in class (his disliking Mary because her presence both overshadows and calls into question his skill as a performer, as it does Ballet Girl). Given Carrie’s observation as well, I’m wondering where the relationship between Ballet Girl and Strong Man might be headed. Also, in terms of casting—I really think what you’ve written relies on (or possibly calls for) an ACTUAL strong man. Casting a “humorous” strong man doesn’t allow for the tension I previously described (not that my observations need to be your sole basis for casting,but…), but also might not make it possible for the Strong Man to have the relationship he has with the crane. Just something to think about!

I was also in complete agreement with Carrie about HOW the Muddy Townsperson remembers—I wanted to make the same comment but also had the fear of stating the obvious. Using the consumption of peanuts to catalyze or even CAUSE memories in some way really makes memory a choice—which, while this of course not always the case, it does seem to be the case with the population of people in your play. This might seem silly as well, but I think it also gestures to “what do elephants and people have in common?”—that is it humanizes Mary and elephantizes (a popular academic word, I know) the humans.

Isn’t the phrase “an elephant never forgets a friend!” (or is it just “an elephant never forgets”? I might just be thinking of a slogan used by the Howie Mandel character in the early 90’s cartoon Bobby’s World). But if the phrase is “an elephant never forgets a friend”—I wonder if there is something to that? Is the Muddy Townsperson Mary’s friend? In some way, is his effort to foreground her in everyone’s memory an act of friendship?

Also, I really enjoyed writing my note to Mary. If I didn’t vocalize this earlier, don’t read it!

I really enjoyed being a part of this process this semester—I wish George the best of luck at his writing over the summer and can’t wait to see this play fully staged this fall!