In the summer of 1864, an entrepreneur built an observation tower just outside the walls of the federal prison at Elmira, New York. He charged 15 cents for citizens to climb the tower and observe the Confederate prisoners below. Ginger cakes and drinks were sold. The venture paid for itself in a matter of weeks. Then winter came.

Shortly afterward another observation tower was constructed by another business interest, and competition being what it is, the cost for admission was driven to 10 cents. Business was booming.

A generation ago, television entertainment ventured into shock modes regarding outlandish relational turmoil and screams for validation from guests who longed for an escape from anonymity. Audiences laughed at the absurdity, confidently comforted by the normalcy that supposedly governed their lives. But the guests left with the assertion that at least their story made it to the screen.

Television ratings remained strong enough to maintain the genre for a few more years. Then came social media forms lending themselves to some of the same attention-getting over-reaches.

Endorsements

“Daytime television is an ironic setting to stage a Civil War drama. However, since 2023 marked the passing of Jerry Springer, it is only fitting to reflect on the demiurge of that era and why humanity continually broadcasts and binges on bad behavior. Paul Patton’s play depicts the conditions in which we all have fallen prey while challenging viewers to change the channel of their souls and respond to real suffering with more resolve.”

—Lance Croy, PhD, Assistant Professor of Communication and Media Arts, Providence Christian College

“I had the great privilege of directing and scoring a production of Paul Patton’s The Edie and ElmiraShow, which featured the playwright in a lead role. While bridging the gap between two seemingly dissimilar worlds—a Civil War prison camp and a 1990s-era talk show—Patton’s play is a multimedia feast and a prophetic reminder of the high price of dehumanizing others. You’ll never hear a laugh track the same way again.”

—Ronnie Ferguson, Poet, Filmmaker, Musician, Professor, Marquette, Michigan

“Like the absurdists who inspire him, Paul Patton uses the strange bedfellows of prison camps and TV shows to jolt audiences awake. Flannery O’Conner wrote stories about extreme characters in extreme situations in order to do the same thing, saying of her work, ‘To the hard of hearing you shout, and for the almost blind you draw large, startling figures.’ The figures in Edie and Elmira are indeed startling. They ought to be. The truth often is.”

—Jen Letherer, Technical Director, Croswell Theater, Adrian, Michigan