A Stirring Comedy with Southern Charm
By Perry Steele Patton
Former beauty queen Ima Jean Walker returns to her hometown after a twenty-year absence, self-assured of winning a local contest she believes will jump-start her long-delayed country music career. Tempers flare and southern sparks fly when her famous high school rival appears in a whirlwind and upsets Ima Jean's unfulfilled dreams of stardom. A Breath of Dusty Air is a touching story of loss, longing and never forgotten dreams, reminding us that voices from our past never fade away, but return to whisper of journeys long since forgotten.
Playwright flies to Danville from L.A. to view premiere of his work
By JENNIFER BRUMMETT
Steve Sleeper's mom leaned over to him at one point during opening night of A Breath of Dusty Air at West T. Hill Community Theatre. She pointed out a man farther down the row.
"She said, 'He sure is enjoying the play,'" said Sleeper, the director. " I said, 'I don't know, but he really is enjoying it.'"
The then-unknown man who was loving Friday night's performance was Perry Steele Patton, the playwright. He saw an article about the West T. Hill production online. He said after reading it he was "so touched by how the actresses got it... That made me that much more excited about coming."
"This is my first production of this show," Patton said in an interview Saturday. "I knew I had to go see it. I've had readings of it in L.A.," but the West T. Hill run is the first staging for it. When he walked in to the theater Friday night, the set looked just as he imagined it when he wrote the play, from the red swivel seats at the diner and the checkerboard floor to the Continental Trailways sign over the window and the red-and-white tablecloths. The playwright marveled at the details.
"It's what I remember seeing at the bus station in Mammoth Springs when I went to visit my grandparents," said Patton, who grew up in Independence, MO. "I felt like I was back at that bus station... It's like they read my mind."
Being in the theater Friday was a special time. When he read the online article about the play, and saw the date of opening night, it reinforced the idea that he had to attend.
"Opening night was my mother's birthday," Patton explained. "And (lead character) Ima Jean was my mom. My mom passed away five years ago, and I started (the play) before she died. When we buried her, I put a note in saying 'I promise I'll finish this for you.'
"When I...saw October 20 was opening night, I thought something was being orchestrated above. I believe in things like that. It was a sign. It was a blessing—her blessing."
The playwright said he wrote A Breath of Dusty Air as a tribute to his mother, who wanted to be a star.
Attended two nights
"This is my small way to make her a star—to make Ima Jean a star—and of helping her realize her dreams of being a star," Patton explained. "This is my way to say to her, 'Your life mattered to me. Your dreams mattered to me, and they influenced me.'"
Patton loved that A Breath of Dusty Air opened at West T. Hill Community Theatre. He bought tickets for Friday and Saturday night performances, and said he wished he could stay for two weeks.
"I would be in heaven. I love this town—it's charming and delightful. Everyone is welcoming. I couldn't think of a place I'd more like to see it premiere.
"I saw this theater and it took my breath away. I thought it was the kind of theater I would like my play to be at."
Friends told him he should apprise the theater folks he was coming opening night, but he decided against that.
"I knew I would go talk to everyone after," Patton explained. "I felt like I wanted to be invisible as an audience (member) and just take it in and feel what it was like without the pressure of knowing I was there. That has to be a pressure to the cast. Afterward, all of them said, 'Thank God we didn't know you were there.'"
Actress Robin Moler, who plays Charlotte Mae in the production, said the cast and crew was delighted to have the playwright in their midst.
Epitome of Southern charm
"He came in last night and he said, 'It's everything I could possibly hope it could be. I'm totally amazed... Everything is perfect,'" she said Saturday.
Gina (who portrays Ima Jean) said if she'd known he was out there, she would have died.
Said Patton, "They were so amazing to meet. I feel like I've just made new friends with these women and two actors. They're so hospitable. They're the epitome of Southern charm. They took me to dinner last night and breakfast this morning."
Of the director, Patton said, "I feel like Steve, by just meeting him, he has a gentle heart and spirit. Through what he wrote in his director notes in the program, I was so touched by what he saw in the play. He saw...the heartbreaking journey of tenderness and drama, not just the frivolous comedy. He saw the heart in it."
Sleeper says he was awestruck by having the playwright in the audience.
"We were not just awestruck to have the playwright there. He was so full of compliments of every aspect, from the technical aspects to the actors to directing to the management of the stage and the details of the set. He was pleased about everything," Sleeper said Saturday. "He was really amazed our community theater could do that.
Coincidence
"I told him at the end, before we left him last night, he came up to me and said, 'Thank you for what you've done.' I said, 'I hope we did it justice.' He said, 'You most certainly have.' That's pretty cool."
Actress Beth Marlowe showed him a copy of the article that ran in The Advocate-Messenger Oct. 15.
He was surprised by a coincidence.
"Underneath the story about my play is an article about Swoosie Kurtz," Patton explained. "I'm a personal assistant for Swoosie Kurtz. I told her I can't get away from her. I think that's amazing. Amazing and serendipitous. For her review to be there...just the two of us on the page."
Seeing his work produced has reinvigorated him, Patton said.
"This experience has reaffirmed my belief to keep writing. I should keep trying to figure it out," he said.
And he hopes people who see A Breath of Dusty Air find their own affirmation in the viewing.
"I hope that (the audience) comes away believing their dreams and where they're at in their lives is right for them," Patton said. "I think not giving up on your dreams or find a way to make your dreams work in your life (is important)."
Cast
3 Women, 2 Men
IMA JEAN WALKER – Female, early 40s. Pretty.
CHARLOTTE MAE POWELL – Female, 40s. Plain, Ima Jean’s sister.
EVA JO YOUNG – Female, 40s. Ima Jean’s friend.
DADDY WALKER – Male. Ima Jean’s deceased father.
DEL BARNETT – Male, 40s. Ima Jean’s first love.
Setting
Continental Trailways Bus Stop and Diner in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas.
About the Author
Perry Steele Patton's plays include A Breath of Dusty Air, The Barbie Play, Minding Ms. Mina, and Grace Meet Paula. A Breath of Dusty Air had its premiere in Los Angeles with a cast that included Swoosie Kurtz, Beth Grant, and Cathy Lind Hayes. Mr. Patton has studied with Leon Martell, Hindi Brooks, and Simon Levy in Los Angeles and is a graduate of University of California, Los Angeles.
Royalties
Performance Royalties are based on theater particulars. Please fill out a production application for your personalized quote.
Materials
No deposit, no return! All rehearsal materials you receive are brand-new. Materials are provided on unbound three-hole-punched paper. Mark them up to your heart's desire—we don't want 'em back!
Production Resources
Logo/PR Pack
Includes high-resolution logo artwork, a ready-made show poster, a press packet with pull quotes and reviews, and reference photos to inform your design.
