A DRAMATISTS PLAY SERVICE TITLE

Airness (High School Edition)

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  2w, 4m, 1 any gender (adult) plus ensemble

Chelsea Marcantel

When Nina enters her first air guitar competition, she thinks winning will be easy. But as she befriends a group of charismatic nerds all committed to becoming the next champion, she discovers that there‘s more to this art form than playing pretend. A shred-or-be-shredded comedy about the spirit of competition and community found through music – now adapted for high school performers.

Airness (High School Edition)

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    2w, 4m, 1 any gender (adult) plus ensemble
  • Duration
    Duration
    105 Minutes
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult, Teen (Age 14-18)
Accolades
Accolades

  • Winner! 2018 M. Elizabeth Osborn New Play Award (American Theatre Critics Association)

Airness (High School Edition)

Details

Summary

When Nina enters her first air guitar competition, she thinks winning will be easy. As she befriends a group of charismatic nerds all committed to becoming the next champion, she discovers that there’s more to this art form than playing pretend. From artistic merit to originality to feeling itself, Nina must learn the pillars of air guitar if she wants to compete. There are 7 pillars of air guitar, after all, including the elusive state of “airness.” Will Nina be able to let go and set herself free onstage? A shred-or-be-shredded comedy about the spirit of competition and community found through music.

This version has been adapted specifically for high school performers.

History

Airness premiered at the Humana Festival of New American Plays in March 2017. Directed by Meredith McDonough, the production featured Marinda Anderson, Matt Burns, Angelina Impellizzeri, Nate Miller, Lucas Papaelias, Marc Pierre and Brian Quijada.

Keywords
Performing Groups

SHREDDY EDDY – 20s or 30s. Real name: Ed Leary. Represents artistic merit.
GOLDEN THUNDER – 20s or 30s, actor of color. Real name: Gabe Partridge. Represents originality.
FACEBENDER – Older than the rest of the group by a few years. White. Real name: Mark Lender. Represents feeling.
CANNIBAL QUEEN – 20s or 30s. Real name: Astrid Anderson. Represents technical ability.
THE NINA – 20s or 30s. Real name: Nina O’Neal. Represents airness itself.
D VICIOUS – 20s or 30s. Real name: David Cooper. Represents charisma/stage presence.
STATEN ISLAND ANNOUNCER
WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS ANNOUNCER
MID-ATLANTIC REGION FINALS ANNOUNCER
SPRITE EXEC
CENTRAL CONFERENCE FINALS ANNOUNCER
EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS ANNOUNCER
HOODED FIGURE
DARK HORSE ANNOUNCER
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP ANNOUNCER

Each character represents one of the pillars of air guitar. This pillar is reflected in performance, song choice, approach to the competition, and personal interactions with others while in character. Mostly, the characters go by their noms d’air. Except for Nina and D Vicious where indicated, they are always wearing the exaggerated costumes of their onstage personas. 

All characters are in their 20s or 30s. Any part can be played by any actor of any race, except: GOLDEN THUNDER should be an actor of color and FACEBENDER should be white. FACEBENDER should also be older than the rest of the group by a few years.

This play is not meant to mock air guitar or air guitarists. Nothing is being spoofed or sent up in any way. The comedy of the play only works if every character is imbued with sincerity and heart. The personas are big and brash, but they frequently drop to reveal real, earnest, three-dimensional humans with real feelings. Invest in them.

Each character represents one of the pillars of air guitar. This pillar is reflected in performance, song choice, approach to the competition, and personal interactions with others while in character. Mostly, the characters go by their noms d’air. Except for Nina and D Vicious where indicated, they are always wearing the exaggerated costumes of their onstage personas. 

All characters are in their 20s or 30s. Any part can be played by any actor of any race, except: GOLDEN THUNDER should be an actor of color and FACEBENDER should be white. FACEBENDER should also be older than the rest of the group by a few years.

This play is not meant to mock air guitar or air guitarists. Nothing is being spoofed or sent up in any way. The comedy of the play only works if every character is imbued with sincerity and heart. The personas are big and brash, but they frequently drop to reveal real, earnest, three-dimensional humans with real feelings. Invest in them.

  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day, New Millennium/21st Century
  • Setting

    Dirty, dingy music venues across the US. Present day.

  • Features Contemporary Costumes/Street Clothes
  • Additional Features Physical Comedy, Play with Music
  • Duration 105 Minutes

Media

“An all-out comedy that’s fricking funny, hella heartfelt, and badass brilliant.” – DC Metro Theater Arts

“Delivers a rocking good time, laughs, and a rock classic earworm to follow you home… If you’re looking for a little escapism and just want to turn off your brain and rock out, this is the show for you.” – Chicago Reader

“A fabulously fun piece.” – Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

“[Airness is] the state of being so dedicated to and lost in a particular activity that a person loses all his hangups and finds himself feeling so free and uninhibited that he revels in a state of pure joy. The audience will come to understand this sensation.” – Chicago Theatre Review

“The most fun you will have at the theatre this year… to call this play a crowd pleaser is a drastic understatement.” – Insider Louisville

“A refreshing and satisfying quest to understand and achieve airness — that purest, untainted form of joy and happiness — and its message will appeal to air guitarists and non air guitarists alike.” – The Sacramento Bee

Videos

  • Airness – 41st Humana Festival First Look youtube thumbnail

    Airness – 41st Humana Festival First Look

  • Airness – 1st Stage Theatre Trailer youtube thumbnail

    Airness – 1st Stage Theatre Trailer

Music

Performances are sixty seconds long, completely choreographed and astonishingly awesome. They are not jokes. They reveal as much about their performers as the dialogue. Permission to use the following songs is included with your performance license.

Prologue: Last Year’s National Championship
1. “Cum on Feel the Noize”

Scene One: Staten Island, New York – Qualifier
2. “Sweet Child of Mine”
3. “The Supercut of Unity”

Vignette One: Competition Videos
4. “Rebel Yell”
5. “More Than a Feeling”
6. “Take It Off”

Scene Two: San Diego, CA – Western Conference Finals
7. “Keep on Loving You”

Scene Three: Boston, MA – Mid-Atlantic Conference Finals
8. “Arpeggios from Hell”

Vignette Two: D Vicious’ Sprite Commercial
9. “Crowd Chant”

Scene Four: Chicago, IL – Central Conference Finals
10. “I Don’t Wanna Grow Up”

Scene Five: New York – Eastern Conference Finals
11. “Crowd Chant” clip
12. “You Give Love a Bad Name”

Scene Six: New York – After the Loss / Invite to the Dark Horse
13. “Sweet Child of Mine” phone clip

Vignette Three: The Dark Horse Competition
14. “Shadows of the Night”

Scene Seven: Los Angeles – The National Championship
15. “Cum on Feel the Noize” slo-mo clip
16. “I Love Rock’n’Roll”
17. “I Love Rock’n’Roll” Instrumental

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: £55 per performance plus VAT when applicable.

Scripts

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Authors

Chelsea Marcantel

Chelsea Marcantel

Chelsea Marcantel is an LA-based writer, director and collaborator.

Reared by Cajuns in southwest Louisiana, Chelsea has lived and made theatre among the tribes of the Midwest, Appalachia, the Mid-Atlantic and now the West Coast. In 2016, she completed a Lila Acheson Wallace A ...

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