The Department of Theatre and Dance presents “Airness” April 9-12 at the Credo Arts Center in Springfield, Missouri.

Directed by Assistant Professor Karen Sabo, the play takes audiences on an adventure into the world of competitive air guitar.

Show times are 7:30 p.m. April 9-11 and 2:30 p.m. April 12. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for students and seniors. MSU students can receive special advance purchase discounts with a Mo State ID.

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Lose yourself in the world of competitive air guitar

“Real-life rocker Nina O’Neal thinks she can easily win an air guitar contest. She knows the songs, she knows the moves and, after all, it’s just pretend. Isn’t it?”

Thus starts the synopsis of Chelsea Marcantel’s play, “Airness.” Audiences follow O’Neal as she immerses herself in a world of misfits, nerds and eccentrics who are laser-focused on attaining the pure and uninhibited joy of rock-n-roll bliss.

“’Airness’ is about adults finding freedom and joy in a sense of play, just like most of us had as kids but many of us lose it while growing up,” said Sabo. “The characters love the sense of being awakened to joy through air guitar. We hope the show will have the same effect on the audience.”

Play a deceptively good fit for interesting times

When Sabo, who became acquainted with Marcantel through a mutual friend, first read “Airness,” she wasn’t at first sure the play was a good fit.

“Most of it takes place in various bars and features guitar-heavy rock,” she explained. “I don’t go to bars much and that’s not a genre of music I listen to much. But we are living in ‘interesting times,’ and the news is full of trouble.”

Accordingly, Sabo thought “Airness” seemed like the kind of play that could take people’s minds off of world events for a couple of hours.

“’Airness’ is a unique show,” agreed Isaiah Levi Thurston, Sabo’s assistant director. “It’s about the silly yet serious, exciting world of competitive air guitar.”

“I’m excited to share this with audiences,” Sabo said. “It’s a great story of a woman who starts out as bitter but finds her way to joy—with face-shredding guitar solos.”

Assistant directing role exciting challenge for Thurston

Thurston, a senior double major in theatre, screenwriting and film studies, has wanted to work as Sabo’s assistant director for over a year.

“When I was taking Karen’s Directing I class, near the end of the semester I approached her and asked if she was interested in having me assistant direct an upcoming show she would be directing,” Thurston recalled.

Although there wasn’t anything available at that time, Thurston and Sabo soon found the perfect opportunity to collaborate with “Airness.”

Now, as Sabo’s assistant director, Thurston is gaining real-life practical experience in theatrical directing.

“I’ve continued to develop my directing skills by observing Karen’s directing process while also learning about a whole new skillset,” Thurston said. “I’ve been thankful ever since, and it’s been a really enjoyable rehearsal process so far. This has been an amazing opportunity.”

Sabo is grateful for Thurston’s presence. “Isaiah is a talented and promising director” who has been a very important part of the production process, she said.

Primary role is to support the director

The assistant director’s main responsibility is to support the director in their creative vision for the production, Thurston said.

“It’s actually much more grounded work than you’d expect,” they noted. “[It] entails attending all rehearsals, callbacks, production meetings, and independent creative team meetings and being able to function in place of the director [when] they are not present.”

One of Thurston’s most important functions is to work with Sabo. Together, they ensure the play’s story and message are clearly communicated. The responsibility thus compels Thurston to continually rely on their communication skills.

“Being a good communicator helps dramatically in your ability to clearly express your opinion, or when needing to string together messages from multiple different departments,” they said.

Production experience as joyful as “Airness” itself

Both Sabo and Thurston described a production experience as joyful as the play’s storyline.

Thurston has had the most fun working with Sabo and the cast on the air-guitar numbers. Meanwhile, Sabo has enjoyed working with a talented cast and crew.

“I’m having the best time directing our talented and hardworking young actors,” Sabo said. “I get excited to come to rehearsal every day and participate in their training, and I love getting to work with our amazing tech and design students. It’s truly my privilege to get to be part of students’ growth.”

Thurston hopes “Airness” helps audiences feel the joy of the play as well as the experience those performing in it have felt. “And maybe there are some future air guitar champions in our midst that we can inspire!”

Photo credits: Ashley Christian

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