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DIRECTOR'S NOTE

Welcome to Verge Theater’s virtual production of AIRNESS, a play by Chelsea Marcantel.

The show you are about to see has been contemplated by Verge Theater for some time, however not quite in this virtual iteration. I remember the last in-person meeting of the Verge Creative Task Force in early March 2020 very clearly. We were finalizing our 2020-2021 season, which in true Verge fashion was a slate full of freaky, subversive, thought-provoking plays... and also a big-hearted comedy called AIRNESS. In the heartbreaking months that followed, Verge suspended its shows and in-person classes, and said goodbye to its longtime home on North 7th after fighting like hell to keep it. Despite losing our beloved black box theater, Verge has continued its mission for community and connection through virtual classes and — miraculously! — virtual shows.

So when the Creative Task Force re-convened over Zoom in November 2020, we realized that there wasn't much appetite for freaky, subversive, or thought-provoking. We wanted laughs, we wanted fun, we wanted comfort food. We wanted AIRNESS.

AIRNESS may center on the absurd (but totally awesome) world of competitive air guitar, but it also speaks to the need for community theater. It's about forming lifelong friendships in unexpected places. It's about channeling raw emotion and joy into performance. It's about collaboration and lifting each other up. It's about overcoming that nagging voice in our heads to find unfiltered exuberance and sharing that before an audience without fear or shame.

At the risk of belaboring the point, dear audience, it goes without saying that creating a show over Zoom is a difficult feat insanely challenging. This process has been one of fake blood and real sweat & tears. On top of the usual rigors of theater production (learning lines, blocking, and choreography), this cast and crew has had to battle faulty internet, Zoom fatigue, a hands-on tech emphasis, convoluted logistics, the unceasing demands of our real lives, and perhaps most challenging of all: not being able to see or hear YOU, our audience. 

But at the end of the day, when asking ourselves why we voluntarily spend extra hours on Zoom, we always came back to the goal of bringing joy and connection to our audience, wherever they may be. The cast and crew of this show have been a dream to work with, and this show would not have been possible without their heart and persistence. They have blown me away with their ingenuity and their commitment to this show and to these wonderful characters. I can’t wait for you to see for yourselves!

So even though we can't see or hear you, please laugh & cheer your hearts out for us. We can't wait to rock out with you in person. Until then, we hope you enjoy this wild experiment and get your fix of live theater from home.

As always, thank you for supporting your local artists and community theater.
 

Rock on!
— Alex

P.S. Special thanks to air guitar legend Kendra Potter aka Dharma Gedden for her ACE consulting, as well as to Katie Gilbertson, Craig Clark, Chris Sibr, Kate Britton and Sherri and Joel Shows. Also, big thanks go to our webcam contributors: Bill and Jane Gum, Julie Seitel, Sweet Pea Festival, Sam Pedersen, Marya Llovet and Bennett Drozic. And a hat tip to Broadway On Demand's technical support team.

P.P.S. YOU READ THIS FAR! That's awesome. The show will have a 10-minute intermission.

Song List

Cast

Creative Team

Background Photos & Videos

Engin Akyurt
Mark Angelo
DGT Portraits
Sebastian Ervi
Adi Goldstein
Mikke House
Tomáš Malík
Olam Musicali
Cottonbro
Anthony Brown
D-Munk Digital Artist
Aleksandar Pasaric
Sean Patrick
Duke Filmmaker
Denys Gromov
Athena Vox
Simplehada Studio
Life-Of-Vids
Kelly Lacy
Jonathan Schmer
Henrique
Gleb Albovsky
Get Lost Mike
Galileo Gigilo

ABOUT VERGE THEATER

DID WE ROCK THIS SHOW?
Support our work by texting "VERGEFAM" to 44-321 and donate!

Verge Theater is Bozeman's own community theater, rocking its 26th season Covid-style. Thanks for joining us on this Zoom presentation! We are looking forward to returning to in-person classes and performances as soon as it is safe to do so, and we appreciate your support while we are cocooning to keep the most vulnerable in our community safe.

Verge envisions a Bozeman community strengthened by theater. We see individuals nurtured, challenged, and radically accepted through the creative process. We believe that when making theater together, we can learn how to make community, to turn mistakes into treasures, and to shape ourselves into both the people that we want to be and the leaders our community needs! That's why we work to ensure access to the process of theater-making for all of our community.

We help nurture self-confident, problem-solving citizens and grow community. We create supportive spaces for self-expression and self-reflection as well as to develop individuals’ abilities to think critically and feel empathetically. We also create an inviting community in which everyone feels valued and has the opportunity to practice collaboration and communication.

We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and our cast and crew are all volunteers. Some have theater experience, but many don't, and as your local community theater, we know that when EVERYONE gets to make art together, the art is stronger, deeper and more resonant.

You can support our work by donating! Just text "VERGEFAM" to 44-321 and help your friendly neighborhood theater weather the storm of Covid. We appreciate you!
 

VERGE THEATER BOARD OF DIRECTORS
 

Todd Callow
David Fine
Leslie Hayes
Carla Hill, chair
Linda Karell
Megan Layne, treasurer
KC Luchsinger
Melody Mileur
Hannah Overton, secretary
Sam Pedersen
Julie Seitel
Ashley York, vice chair
 

VERGE THEATER CREATIVE TASK FORCE
 

Kate Britton
Bennett Drozic
Katie Gilbertson
Linda Karrell
Brian Kassar
Alex Miller
Hilary Parker
 

TEXT "VERGEFAM" to 44-321 to donate!