In September 1916 the good people of Erwin, Tennessee lynched an elephant.
about Man’s Dominion
There are some lost stories in American history that need to be found because they resonate down through the ages. They resonate in such large American and universal themes as man’s cruelty to animals, man’s capacity for religious intolerance, and the pervasiveness of age-old racial attitudes from the lesser angels of our nature. MAN’S DOMINION, a history in 10 characters done as a one-person show examines one such ‘lost’ event in American history. In September 1916 the good people of Erwin, Tennessee lynched an elephant. Mary, an 18-year old elephant and star circus attraction who had only known life in captivity had thrown, stomped and killed her trainer, Red Eldridge, on his second day of work. For this, Mary was sentenced to death and the giant railroad cranes in the Blue Ridge mountain rail hub of Erwin were to be the engines of her demise. MAN’S DOMINION, a solo show done in 10 Characters, provides voice to ten (10) witnesses and participants to that event. It is our sincere hope that seeing, hearing and experiencing MAN’S DOMINION will give food and fuel to the better angels of ournature.
The one-hundredth anniversary in September 2016 of Mary’s violent and very public demise is rapidly approaching. Articles will be written, local television and radio will report and more people throughout the South in general and the Southeast in particular will be exposed to the story and the legend. Rather than treat this centennial with any sense of celebration we feel the timeliness of the events discussed and dramatized in Man’s Dominion takes on an even greater sense of import and meaning. A week doesn’t go by when we don’t hear of elephants slaughtered in the wild for their tusks or customs officials confiscating illegal shipments of this “blood ivory”. As we well know, religious intolerance is not limited to any hemisphere or population. The same can be said for racism, which practiced on a global scale, continues to hinder every society’s progress and enlightenment. All this, and the fact that having seen Man’s Dominion during its sold-out run in Los Angeles patrons have left the theater with new thoughts and new feelings as their reviews and post-show Q&A’s have made clear. Audiences have been changed.Theater has always done the hard work of exposing the culture to its flaws and providing hope for positive change. We feel that Man’s Dominion carries on in that noble tradition and is more timely than ever.
David Castro
Tim Powell
Dennis Neal
Preview: http://vimeo.com/timpowel!mans-dominion-sample-reel
Fresh off its initial sold-out world-premiere run at the 2014 Hollywood Fringe Festival and followed by two sold-out extensions as part of the Producers Award Encores! Series, ‘MAN’S DOMINION’ is thrilled to be coming to the Zodiac Theatre in historic Florence, Alabama for four performances - two (2) shows nightly on Friday and Saturday, December 5th and 6th. ‘Man’s Dominion’ stars Florence, Alabama native and University of North Alabama graduate theatre alum Tim Powell in a one-person theatrical event where he brings to life ten (10) characters in nineteen (19) separate but thematically unified monologues. ’MAN’S DOMINION’, written by Emmy-nominated TV writer David Castro, tells the story of the 1916 lynching in Erwin, TN, of Mary, the elephant and star attraction of the Sparks Family Shows, an itinerant circus that toured the American Southeast and beyond for years. ‘MAN’S DOMINION’ tells Mary’s story along with those of witnesses, participants and her circus co-workers.
Sarah Tuft at thefrontrowcenter.com had this to say, in part – “Man’s Dominion is a tour-de-force created out of nothing more than a fake clown nose, a true story and a lot of real talent. Playwright David Castro crafted this spellbinding journey from a series of monologues based on the real event of an elephant lynching in Tennessee in 1916. Tim Powell brings his characters to life with a deft juggling of accents and physicality that allows him the luxury of understated performance. His easy command of the stage lulls us into giving ourselves over to the journey. And if Powell’s performance is a one-man three-ring circus, director Dennis Neal is the ringmaster, working invisibly but precisely to craft the entire journey. It’s to his credit that the emotional pay-off packs such a powerful punch. ‘MAN’S DOMINION’ is a labor of love put on by three showbiz veterans joined together by their commitment to telling untold stories and giving voice to the voiceless.”
The full review can be found at
http://thefrontrowcenter.com/2014/06/mans-dominion/
David Castro (Writer) is an Emmy (and CableAce Award when they gave those out) nominated writer-producer with over 20 years in the writers’ rooms on shows such as Married With Children, It’s Garry Shandling’s Show, Not Necessarily the News and many others.
Tim Powell (Actor) SAG-AFTRA, AEA, has built a professional acting resume in Theatre, Film, TV and Voice work which spans three decades. He serves on the SAG Conservatory Tech Committee, teaches their Acting and VO workshops at AFI, and is an active member of the TV Academy.
Dennis Neal (Director) SAG-AFTRA, booked his first audition 27 years ago and has worked steadily in Theatre, Film, and TV ever since. For the past 15 years Dennis has been conducting classes and doing private coaching in his Acting Bootcamp which has become the go-to class for deep and meaningful acting prep in both Los Angeles and Orlando, FL.
Together, David, Tim and Dennis – Team Pachyderm – bring over 90 years of experience to ‘MAN’S DOMINION’.
‘MAN’S DOMINION’ is also pleased to support the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust