Among the various odd titles of plays I’ve seen throughout the years, Going to See the Elephant ranks high on the list of “what’s up with that?” So here’s a little Elephant appetizer, if you will.

   Going to See the Elephant is set in the 1870’s at the Wheeler homestead in Kansas.  The matriarch, Maw Wheeler, explains that she likes “going to see the elephant – going to see what’s over the next hill, find out what’s out there.” In our upcoming production, Maw Wheeler will be played by Nancy Lewis (you may remember her as “The Raven” in our recent Winter’s Tale).  Maw is curious, drawn to the unknown. 

  Maw’s pioneer spirit is opposed by Mrs. Nichols – a rich woman from the East who travelled to Kansas with a group of people committed to the ideals of Thoreau. They were sold on the idea of utopia, and arrived instead in hard reality. Suki Peters, who was recently seen in our staged reading of Geography of Nowhere, will play Mrs. Nichols – a woman running away from her broken dreams and heartache.

  The other two women in the Elephant quartet are Sarah, Maw’s daughter-in-law (to be played by Emily Baker), and a teenaged neighbor, Etta (to be played by Jessica Haley). Their stories are also filled with sorrow and hope.

  The drive to explore and the curiosity to experiment take courage and energy; it’s easier to be afraid, to run away. But as Maw cautions Mrs. Nichols:  “Run toward your fear, not away from it.” Wise words.

  What elephant do you want to see?  What elephant are you afraid of?