The March People’s Choice Award goes to…

The people have spoken… The March People’s Choice Award goes to Mary Parisoe for her short play, A BREATH OF AIR, presented as a staged reading live at Theater Wit and Simulcast on March 3rd. Congratulations, Mary!

Courtesy of Mary, we’re pleased to share the first few pages from the award-winning script. Enjoy!

A Breath of Air
by Mary Parisoe

Characters:
* ALLIE: mid-late 20s, American from Indiana. She’s dressed for spring or summer.
* JIM: early 30s, a midwesterner, dressed casually but warmly for the chilly autumn afternoon

Lights up on ALLIE straddling the roof-top façade
singing to herself as she keeps time with her song
by kicking against the façade which is coming
a bit loose. She is balanced precariously. In her
lap is a notebook. From time to time she tears out
pages, then tears them into smaller pieces and
throws them off the roof as though to let them
mingle with the faint sounds of traffic below.

ALLIE
(singing angrily to herself) “If I had a hammer, I’d hammer in the morning. I’d hammer in the evening. All over this land.
I’d hammer out danger—“

Enter JIM from door into the building. He has
some chocolate, a thermos, and a blanket.

Go away. Hey, please—I said—

JIM (sits on the sunnier side of the roof)
Hi. I’m Jim. (Beat) And you?

ALLIE
You couldn’t possibly go away? Jim?

JIM
I just needed a breath of fresh air. Quite a view, huh? A little chilly. Don’t you need to go in and
get a sweater? Or I could give you my jacket.

ALLIE
No. No thanks.

JIM
I happened to be across the street and saw you up here. I didn’t know we could get out on the roof. That’s such a good idea.

ALLIE
I know what you’re doing. It won’t work.

JIM
What am I doing?

ALLIE
Being cheerful. In hopes that I won’t do what I’m up here to do.

JIM
I brought some chocolate. You want some? And I have a thermos of hot tea.

ALLIE
Whoop dee doo for you.

JIM
(pouring tea in thermos cup) I’m gonna have some, warm up a little. Orange Pekoe? Great with chocolate?

ALLIE
I don’t like tea. Look, can you just leave me alone? Have your bonbons somewhere else?

JIM
I could. But I’m not going to. (Beat) What are those?

ALLIE
These pages of a notebook I’m tearing up? I bet they’re pages of a notebook I’m tearing up.

JIM
It’s sunnier on this side, probably a little warmer. (Beat) It’s great watching the world go by
from way up here.

ALLIE
Fuck. Stop leaning out like that.

JIM
Why?

ALLIE
Duh.

JIM
I should have come up here before.

ALLIE
It’s a roof, not the Taj Mahal.

JIM
Something beautiful in my own building and I never took the time to appreciate it.

Join us for our next Monday Night PlayGround, live and in-person, on Monday, April 7 at 7pm CT at Theater Wit and simulcast! Click here for more info and tickets.