by Pat Sackett | May 16, 2022
Back in 2017 a group of us from the Twin Cities went to the Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville, KY, searching for new works to produce at Park Square. We’ve seen other great plays there that were later produced at Park Square, including Cardboard Piano by Hansol Jung, and Dot, by Colman Domingo.
While the group skewed what one might call “older,” all of us fell in love with Airness. It was fun, it was inspiring, it was about finding your tribe and pursuing excellence. Maybe it was because it let us 60-somethings relive growing up on rock’n’roll, maybe it was the music, maybe it was the enthusiasm of the performances, but something about this play struck home and stuck with us. Since then we’ve been advocating for Park Square to bring Airness to Minnesota. Once, at a reception, we took the then artistic director to follow us and we’d say one word to the table in the corner. We said “Airness” and every face among these seasoned theater-goers lit up, remembering that wonderful experience.
Five years (FIVE YEARS??!!??) and one pandemic later, we’re finally able to enjoy this play and this sense of whimsy and possibility once again. We think this is exactly the play we need right now. For those of us who grew up on rock’n’roll, it brings back good memories and lets us relive the days when three chords and an attitude went a long way.
Get your tickets, settle in, and prepare to have a great time. If you love Prince and Clapton and Townsend, you’ll love Airness, and you’ll never play air guitar in your basement in quite the same way again!
