Elephants Don't Run
Trevor Smith
Genre: Drama
Cast size: 5
Duration: 100 mins approx
Trevor Smith| Drama | Full-length | 1m, 4f
Short synopsis
- Synopsis
- Characters
Lily, a widow in her late 50s, is in hospital suffering from a variety of physical, mental and psychological illnesses, including early onset dementia. She has been suffering with these illnesses for many years, during which she has been cared for at home by her youngest daughter, Debra, who was in her early teens when she became her mother’s carer. Debra is rapidly becoming exasperated and exhausted with her life and does not understand what brought on the dementia so early in Lily’s life? Can Debra find what she feels she needs for herself and her mother?
In the hospital, Lily is being cared for by Nurse Jenny, who uses well known techniques to aid Lily’s memory recall. During her treatment the nurse uncovers a possible cause for the illnesses and reports her findings to Doctor Pritchard, with whom Debra has secretly fallen in love. How will Jenny’s report affect Lily’s treatment and will the doctor be professional in his response to Debra’s declaration of love for him?
Lily is visited by her eldest daughter Megan, whom no-one in the family has seen for nearly 20 years. She seemed to have vanished shortly after her mother’s first diagnosis of early onset dementia. Megan’s visit, however, has caused distress to her angry, younger sister. What made Megan disappear and where has she been for all these years? Was Megan unable to cope with the situation? How will her return affect the relationships between herself, her mother and her sister?
All is explained throughout this emotionally moving drama.
Applying for and paying royalties
To apply for royalties, please complete the form on our apply for royalties page.
To pay for fixed fee royalties having received your Quotation from us, please go to this payment form.
More information
If you require any additional information regarding this script, please don’t hesitate to contact us here.
Frequently asked questions
Can we try before we buy?
Of course! All our plays and pantomimes have a free Preview Script available for download as an A4 pdf file that contains 60-75% of the full script. If you like what you read then you can buy an inexpensive e-script of the entire play (typically less than half the cost of a traditional printed script) which is licensed to you for your personal use. Purchasing a script copying licence allows you to make just enough copies to support rehearsals and performances.
All our musicals are included in our perusal service. Through this, representatives of producing organisations can request a USB Stick of perusal material which comprise the script/libretto and piano/vocal score as PDF files; a Cast (or Studio) Recording as MP3 files and (where available) an MP4 file video of either the premiere production or of a subsequent production.
Some titles have the facility to read the entire script online on our website.
Do we need a Licence To Perform?
The simple answer is, yes.
Under the international laws of copyright, you must be in possession of a valid, unexpired licence before performing any piece of theatre unless the owner or managers of the copyright has waived their rights.
Why do you insist on providing a formal royalties quotation?
When you request a quotation, it is logged in our system, it forms part of an orderly queue and protects your place in that queue should multiple licensing requests occur for the same show.
Need help?
Contact us
If you need help with our scripts, please contact our customer service team, we would be more than happy to help.
Established for over 25 years
Unearthing future talent
Stagescripts is a trusted licensing company run by theatre professionals with decades of experience on and off stage. Our curated catalogue includes over 1,000 carefully selected plays, musicals, and pantomimes — from fresh, undiscovered writing to well-loved classics.
We’re passionate about helping theatre-makers at every level discover scripts that inspire, challenge, and connect with audiences. Whether you're staging a village hall production or leading a professional company, our team offers expert advice, flexible support, and a responsive, personal service to help your next performance shine.
