Synopsis:
It is the summer of 1916, and the circus has
come to the small town of Eddington, Tennessee. But the star of the show, an
elephant named Big Mary, ("the largest land animal in captivity") is not
happy, as her trainer, Maurice Weglellen, is about to be married to a local
belle, Ella Mae Clayshulte, and to commit his charge to the questionable
care of his assistant, Red Lavelette. Disrupting the wedding ceremony, and
then trotting off after the newlyweds, Big Mary reacts angrily to Red's
attempts to bring her to heel by giving him a fatal toss over her head,which
presents the townspeople with the problem of how to deal with crime by an
elephant. The nearsighted mayor decides to mete out justice with a gun (but
succeeds only in wounding an innocent bystander); the sheriff nervously (and
without effect) orders Big Mary to cease and desist; and only the local
black preacher, Rev. Stokes, appears to keep his head. Eventually everybody
in town gets involved in the situation, and despite the pleading of Badger
McQueen, a young black orphan girl who wants desperately to join the circus
(black people can't in 1916), "wiser" heads prevail and it is ordained that
Big Mary must hang. Which, with the help of Old Bud Fenwick's derrick, she
does.to the enlightenment of all, for, as the Rev. Stokes ironically points
out, "children learn what they learn from their elders" which, it is hoped,
means from the bad examples as well as from the good.
About the Guest Director
Joe Walsh
Joe has taught the past 10 years at,Cathedral High
School a private school in Los Angeles in the Visual and Performing Arts
Department where he heads the Theatre Department and teaches Speech and
Theatre as well as directing and producing all theatrical productions.
Joe studied at Emerson College in Boston Massachusetts
receiving his Bachelor of Fine Arts in Theatre and Speech. He was also the
recipient of the Carol Burnett Award, which gave him the funds he needed to
move to New York City to pursue his acting career.
Joe received is Equity Card when performing Off
Broadway as Dromio in Comedy of Errors at the Lamb’s Theatre.
He also performed in the National Tour of Amadeus
directed by Sir Peter Hall in the role of Major Domo. He then
returned to perform in the Broadway production.
Joe moved to LA in the 1990’s and became a
member of the Odyssey Theatre Company.
He then developed a Drama Therapy program for chronic
and terminally ill children at the Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles. He
also conducted seminars for the American Cancer Society, Cystic Fibrosis
Foundation and Make a Wish Foundation.
He wrote and performed a one-man show called Journey
Back to Christmas, which was performed as a fundraiser for the Make A Wish
Foundation.
For more information contact Ms. Gilpatrick at 931.858.1611
For ticket information call the Wesley Office at: 931.526.4353
