New One-Woman One-Act Play: The Eyes of Old Bet
Years ago, I visited a friend in Somers, NY, and passed by a building called “The Elephant Hotel,” complete with a small elephant statue erected on a pole high in the air. (Skip to the play, THE EYES OF OLD BET) I asked my friend about it and she explained that in the early 1800s, a man with the last name of Bailey had acquired one the first or second elephant in America at his farm in Somers. Later, Bailey would go on to create a touring menagerie (aka, rudimentary circus) with this elephant and other exotic animals at the time.
The basics of this story intrigued me and in the back of my mind, I was waiting for the opportunity to turn some seed of this history into a play. That opportunity came when a local theater company, Tutti Bravi Productions Inc., opened a call for monologues related to the history of Westchester County, NY.
While I did look into other historical gems in Westchester County (this county has a history rich with notable people, buildings, landmarks and events), I kept coming back to the elephant in Somers. I decided to dive full force into the research for this elephant, and in doing so, found myself immersed also in the context of the time: women’s rights and lack of rights in the early 1800s, the influence of Quakers and Native Americans, the crimes of slavery, the people who settled in Somers, NY (which was technically named Stephentown at first), and Hachaliah Bailey himself (he was NOT the Bailey of “Barnum and Bailey,” although there is a distant relation). There is some debate about the intricacies of the story of this elephant named Old Bet, but I incorporated what seemed like the most reliable information—then created the characters and their relationships and journeys.
The one-woman play, THE EYES OF OLD BET, premiered at the Ossie Davis Theater in New Rochelle, NY in the Fall of 2023 and I was blessed with the unbelievably talented Sharon Spenser portraying Martha, as well as the strong-willed daughter and nosy neighbor (there’s gotta be a nosy neighbor!). I have to say, Sharon was just fantastic! In talking with the audience after the show, due to Sharon’s spectacular performance, many people commented how they truly felt there were multiple people on stage, and remembered the piece with those distinct voices, even though it was always only Sharon. So grateful to collaborate with amazing people!
One audience member, recently wrote me, months after seeing the show to explain how she and her husband still talk about the play. “Its beauty is in SO many layers—” she wrote, “the entry with the ‘infant,’ the personalities, the hugely moving connection to what prejudice looks and feels like - as well as its so simple human resolution, and the issue of powerful women and Seneca Falls. Thank you, thank you.” Words like these are truly a gift to a playwright!
In THE EYES OF OLD BET, Martha has reconciled herself to a childless, but contented, life with her husband, Edward. Yet when she’s unexpectedly blessed with a daughter, she begins to see the world through new eyes—not only in the excitement and vitality of her precious Sybil, but also in what society will withhold from her daughter, simply because of her gender. Martha’s own prejudices are put to the test when a strange creature arrives in their small town whom Sybil adores, but Martha fears: the second elephant in America, called Old Bet. Yet when a revelatory incident occurs between Sybil and Old Bet, Martha begins to see more similarities to the elephant than differences. Their relationship merges and diverges until a tragic end, but it also inspires hope and strength for bringing progress to the next generation.
The Eyes of Old Bet is the story of this elephant, but it is also the story of a mother and daughter finding a way to stand up for those who are not given the same privileges they are, reaching to gain more power of their own, and finding their voice. From the play:
“Aren’t we lucky, Mama?”
“We are, Sybil.” I kneel in front of her and lay my hands on her shoulders. “We have had the chance to meet this incredible life. But Sybil, her luck is not the same as ours. We must always watch out for those who have no voice to speak.”
Sybil’s doll stops dancing. The smile that fills Sybil’s face almost constantly is gone. She looks to Old Bet. To her doll. To me. Her tiny chin quivers. Her shining eyes pool with tears until they break the dam and flood down her cheek.
“Mama,” Sybil chokes out to me. “If Old Bet had a voice…do you think she’d say she’s lonely?”
I know she’s lonely, but I don’t tell Sybil this. Not quite. I tell her, “I think she’d say…she is far less lonely when we are here.”
THE EYES OF OLD BET runs about 20-25 minutes, great for a female actor 30s-70s.
Click here for a free excerpt to THE EYES OF OLD BET.
Click below for the complete one-woman play, THE EYES OF OLD BET.