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Air Guitar: A Path to Belonging?

By Jim Lowe
THE RUTLAND HERALD
How many, in the privacy of their own homes, haven’t “played” along with guitar greats like Jimi Hendrix and Eric Clapton? But some take it more seriously than others, and there is a whole underground world of “air guitar” aficionados out there that not only strut their passion in public but join in a cutthroat competition to be the best.

In Chelsea Marcantel’s new rock ’n’ roll comedy, six young misfits leave their everyday lives to become their dream personas. Each is attempting to climb the pillars of air guitar excellence — artistic merit, originality, feeling, technical ability and stage presence — to achieve the ultimate “airness,” and win the United States Air Guitar Championships.

Vermont Stage Company, Burlington’s resident professional theater company, will present “Airness” March 8-26 at Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center in Burlington.

“When I first read the play, I thought it was all simply conjured from the playwright’s lively imagination. Then I started doing a bit of research and realized that this play is based on an actual sport,” explained Cristina Alicea, Vermont Stage’s artistic director. “There are people out in the world actually competing to become champion air guitarists, and there is a large audience of spectators that love and root for them. Can you believe it?! Once I learned that this goofy, fun and strange little world was real, I knew I had to produce this show.”

“It really does have a bit of a Valentine to the ’80s in it,” added Laura Roald, who is directing. “So, we have the perspective of the outsider who’s coming into a closed group and battling to find their place in it while struggling and earning the respect of one of the key people inside it. And then we have the final montage sequence where everyone has to come together for the big final battle.

“Of course, there’s the character who gets to be blown up to be the social villain who’s going to tear everyone apart, but it all comes together in the end — because it’s a comedy.”

These characters define their personas by their music as much as anything.

“The flash of the guitar is really what counts most,” Roald said. “And the songs that were selected to go along with this story really fit more into the ’80s groove of things.”

The music comes from the likes of Joan Jett, Billy Idol, The Ramones, Pat Benatar, Bon Jovi, Quiet Riot, The Donnas, and many more. The characters see themselves in the lyrics and music.

“It’s an accessible poetry,” Roald said. “They see it as interpretive. They take the songs, and they interpret them through the lens of the persona they create. So we have one, like the villain D Viscious (Quinn Rol), who takes every song and makes it about himself.

“And we have other characters, like Cannibal Queen (Grace Experience) who makes it entirely about the technical mechanics and brilliance of the pieces she chooses,” Roald said. “She’s a delight and a hoot!”

Nina (Dara Pohl Feldman) is the newbie who approaches the group hoping to be invited in, but only Shreddy Eddy (Stephen Shore) shows any willingness to help.

“The outsider’s outsider is the one we’re following though the story, who is trying to find out what it means, and what it means for her personally,” Roald said.

The remainder of the cast includes Kingsley Nwaogu as Golden Thunder, Jon Van Luling as Facebender and Andrew Cassel as the announcer. Scenic design and technical direction are by Chuck Padula, lighting design by Dan Gallagher, projections and sound design by Jess Wilson, costume design by Sophia Lidz and choreography by Sue Bailey.

“Throughout the play, different characters at different times refer to air guitar as the only pure art form left. It’s impossible to sell it out because they don’t have the rights to the music,” Roald said. “So they’re not selling the music — the competition is how can you interpret this? It really becomes more of a question of an interpretive dance.

“It’s something that is deep for them, and that’s what makes the strangeness of it so beautiful for me,” Roald said.

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