The Elephant Blog

Elephant Spotting: Milford, PA

The first time I met an elephant in person was at Disney World, 1978.  Her name was Peggy, and my brother and I rode her for a whole of 15 minutes, but to us it might have been a cross country voyage.  It was such a magical, beautiful experience.  It’s hard to believe that these animals can be so gargantuan (I know you know that they are, in fact, the largest land dwelling animal, and can weigh as much as 14 thousand pounds!), and yet they are such gentle, loyal, beautiful creatures.

Last May I bought a house in Milford, Pennsylvania, a humble chalet in the woods, close enough to the city and to neighbors to allow for downtime, and simultaneously avoid the potential frights of being alone in the country. 

       Here I am the first day I saw "my" house!

 

Milford is about 70 miles southwest of Midtown Manhattan, and, in the summertime, a thriving vacation spot, known for its gorgeous campsites, beckoning waterfalls, and all the fun with a lake you could ask for – and more.  The community my house is located in is home to several family of deer who stop by to visit me several times a day to say hello (and see if I have any food for them). 

 

Here's my pet deer "Honey" and one of her babies.

 

It’s quite an experience being there, and though very far from big city life, every day is different, and incredibly peaceful.  (Check out the March 2009 issue of Travel & Leisure for the complete low down on my amazing little Milford!!!)

 

 

Imagine my surprise the first time I cruised along Route 739 towards my new home, and spotted this curious steel elephant, just standing there, guarding his home owner’s property in the middle of the snow!

 

 

Now, being out in the country, there’s no shortage of cute lawn ornaments and the like, but this big, gray pachyderm took some serious planning.  I’m guessing he’s 4 feet high, and 5 feet wide.  (I cannot imagine what he weighs!)  All elephants are symbols of goodness, but supposedly, if their trunk is up (and facing outwards) it’s supposed to bring money into your home.

As you can see, this big guy’s trunk is far from up.  In fact, it looks as though it’s in need of repair!

 

 

If you’re anything like me, you generally think of elephants as existing in warmer climates, but the truth is, the natural habitat of an Asian or African elephant is at a high enough altitude that temperatures easily drop below zero degrees.  Maybe that’s why our curious steel elephant looks so at home every season of the year.

 

I’m hoping the next time I spot an elephant, it’s at the elephant orphanage in Nairobi, Kenya. 

Elephants are known for being particularly gentle and protective of their young, but occasionally, when a baby is tragically orphaned (often because of poachers), they will be reared and cared for by this fantastic organization, until they are old enough to venture out into the wild.

 

For now, though, I'm content to spot elephants (and their farm-dwelling friends) in Northeast Pennsylvania.

 

 

Any elephant encounters you’d like to share??? 

 

-- Liza Lentini

Thumbelina Gets Published!

Well, she did it!  Our “brave little girl” Thumbelina caught the attention of a new independent publisher devoted to children’s theater.

 

TYA Scripts (www.tyascripts.com) licenses heartfelt plays and exceptional musicals for young audiences. Their scripts have been produced throughout the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Mexico and the U.K.

 

Thumbelina: The Story of a Brave Little Girl is very special to us.  Not only because it was our first hospital tour, but because it established our mission: to bring these kids uplifting stories emphasizing themes of friendship, family, and the power of hope – themes, we believe, are important for all children.  While honoring the beauty and innocence of Hans Christian Andersen’s original tale, our Thumbelina is a modern, feisty spitfire who’s not afraid of anything.

 

But TYA Scripts isn’t the only place you’ll find Thumbelina. Starting in March (as per special arrangement) we’ll be performing Thumbelina for the kids at Bellevue Medical Center, where we’ll be in residence through October 2009.  Why Bellevue?  Because of the moving experience we had there last September, the phenomenal staff, and the belief that by visiting on a regular basis we could really make a difference for those kids.

 

Any interest in your company performing Thumbelina: The Story of a Brave Little Girl?  Contact TYA Scripts at info@tyascripts.com for a perusal script.

 

And if you have a favorite Thumbelina memory from childhood you'd like to share -- please do!  We'd love to hear about it.

 

-- Liza Lentini

Elephant Performed at Ritz Carlton Event on January 24

On January 24^th, the phenomenal Thumbelina cast put their frog hats, spider hands, and sparrow wings back on to make an appearance at the Ritz Carlton in Battery Park on January 24^th. 

 

The event was sponsored by Role Mommy, “an online community and events company created to inspire, entertain and inform today's busy moms.”  Why did Elephant participate in this event?  Because they both understand that kids (and adults) need support to realize their dreams.

 

The performance was a huge success!  Beth Feldman, Founder Rolemommy.com, thought so, too  “The Elephant Ensemble Theater completely wowed the group of mom authors, entrepreneurs and parenting experts who attended our recent Role Mommy at the Ritz event along with their children.  The show was highly entertaining for young children and I even saw a few moms laughing out loud at the performance given by the spider, the two frogs, the actor with the crazy wig and more!   I can't wait to get the chance to bring them back for another family event!”

 

Thanks for having us, Beth!  We look forward to our next opportunity to work together.

 

-- Liza Lentini

Happy New Year, Baby

For many of my friends, 2008 was The Year of the Baby, and certainly for those of us who celebrate Christmas, there are plenty of baby references at this time of the year.  A newborn doesn’t need to be the Christ child to bring a new way of thinking.  Every baby changes his or her world instantly the minute they enter it, for everyone around them and in so many ways.

Being New Year’s Day, I can’t help but reflect on the past 12 months, and, of course, all the kids we’ve seen.  There are so, so many special children we visit every month, each as precious as the next, but one in particular glows brightly in my thoughts today – a young autistic boy, very sick, though I’m not sure why, who came to see our show accompanied by his mother.  As with many children with autism, it was difficult for him to communicate, but rather every few minutes he would allow a delicate moan to escape.  We love to greet the kids as we meet them, but in this one boy’s case, it simply wasn’t possible.  He couldn’t be touched – at least, not in the physical sense.

However, the second the show began, he quieted, and his eyes became fixated on the action.  He followed every actor so intensely, and we even got him to laugh in all the right places!

We know we give something to the kids we see, but I often wonder if they know how much they give to us.  Seeing a child’s joy come back to their face is, of course, the greatest gift of all.  But beyond the performance there’s a new consciousness that comes to light when you’re around these children.  You can’t help but reflect on your life with a different, more grateful perspective.  The world may be a crazy place, but at least we can attempt to make one small corner of it a bit more peaceful.  It may seem like a small scale to some, but it’s a big deal to us.  And we’re grateful for the opportunity.

That’s why, when Christine and I sat down before the holiday insanity hit, we decided to try to double, if not triple, our monthly outreach for 2009.  How, you might ask?  Well, given the frightful economy, one might think it’d take a miracle, especially since the state of charitable contributions is, expectedly, as glum as ever. 

But we’re saving our hopes for miracles for when we need them, and holding fast to our faith in people, and their charitable hearts.  We’ve all heard the tales of the kings, shepherds, and even angels who gathered on Christmas day.  We have to believe that angels exist beyond mythology and religious belief -- all year round.  These aren’t the kind of angels with fluffy white wings; these are the kind that are stationed on earth.  I know first hand that they exist, because they’ve helped us get this far, and if any of them are listening now, please know how much we appreciate you.  You are a miracle to us.

 

So, stay tuned!  We’ll let you know how we make this work.  In the meantime, Happy New Year from all of us at Elephant Ensemble Theater to you and yours! 

The Gift of Time

Well, it’s that time of the year again…of snowflake motifs, Christmas cookies, mistletoe…and, of course, gift giving.  While people the world over are busy trimming the tree and hanging their stockings with care, the season’s innate abundance turns many folks’ thoughts towards charity and ways of reaching out. 

 

As our little company is relatively new for us, so are the experiences of overwhelming support, by both friends and strangers.  Reflectively, perhaps the most striking response I consistently encounter, and which always sticks with me, is said with the utmost sincerity and compassion: “I have always wanted to do something like that.”  “That” refers to charity work, or volunteerism, or the ability to help on a regular basis.  My response to those who say this to me is always the same: “What’s stopping you?”  There’s a hierarchy of replies here, in last place is “I don’t know how”, first-runner up goes to “I don’t have the time”, and, finally, the most common…is no reply whatsoever.

 

For those who don’t know how, I offer them, of course, to work with us, as we can always—and I do mean always!!!—use helping hands in every respect.  But for all others who want to help and truly don’t know where to begin, first take a moment to understand why you want to give.  In order to make it stick, it simply has to be meaningful to you.  Elephant Ensemble Theater, for example, is made up of theater professionals who feel the need to be around little kids, up close and personal, and have an affect on their lives.  Clear your head for just one moment, and think of which cause, for you, triggers an overflow of compassion.  Your charity of choice will find a use for you based on what you are already capable of.  You need to know so very little about the cause or the disease in question to hold someone’s hand or read them a book. 

 

And that’s where time comes in.  I assure you, there is no one involved in Elephant who has time to kill; we all work long, hard hours to make our charitable life a possibility.  Yet, the truth is, time is the most precious of all your gifts if you want to help.  It’s where your commitment begins.  Will you give up a night of bad television to cure someone else’s night of loneliness?  Will you sacrifice 3 hours a week to make your dream of “always wanting to do something” a reality?

 

For those whose answer is a resounding “yes” – better get Googling your options ASAP!  If the answer happens to be “no”, well, there’s an excellent chance hands-on charity work is not on the official list of things you’d always wanted to do.  If what you really mean is you’d like to contribute, always remember that very few non-profits are ever boastingly over budget, and a very small donation goes a very, very long way.  Take it from us!!!

 

Yes, ‘tis the season for giving, but why not, if it’s truly something you need in your life, make time for charity all year round?  It’s not as hard as it seems.  Just think of where you’d be…if you had all the time in the world.  (Just for fun cruise www.volunteermatch.org...you won’t regret it!)

 

What would be the best use of your time???

 

-- Liza Lentini