The Alleyway Theatre's production of "Air Heart" spurns an appreciation for the history of aviation and clownish acrobatics.
The play, written and performed by Mara Neimanis, brings out the gymnast in Amelia Earhart. Neimanis created this performance to supplement her graduate thesis, but also to demonstrate how art and growth begin with the body.
As an aerialist and an actress, the playwright wanted to do something that combined both. She chose to tell Earhart's story not so much for its dramatic legacy, but because Neimanis thought she could tell the story through her body.
In an interview with The Spectrum, Neimanis explained that she needed to work out for three hours a day to keep her body strong enough for the performance.
Neimanis is a graduate of The Dell'Arte International School of Physical Theatre in Northern California, is an instructor of Physical Acting, and a company member. As Neimanis slithers and swings from a metal plane about four feet above the ground, her strength becomes apparent while holding herself in positions upside-down as an attempt to show the plane crashing.
The play is directed by Bryce Butler and accompanied by cryptic musical themes from Jocelyn Pook. Neimanis explained that the music has a Danish background, but it sounds like something viewers would hear when someone dies on "The OC" - a haunting but extremely intriguing sound.
The first scene of the play is leaking with insanity. Neimanis' face contorts while throwing bird feathers in the air, teasing the feathers like a curious child.
Amelia Earhart disappeared on her attempt to fly around the world, yet she was only a half hour from her destination. The show gives the audience an understanding of Amelia's accomplishments but also some insight into what kind of person she was.
"Amelia was a great role model for women, but as a pilot, well that was secondary," Neimanis said.
Throughout the show the audience learns how Earhart could have prevented her demise. Neimanis' performance revealed the hardheadedness of Earhart. She refused to study Morse code. It is also revealed that she didn't bring a communication wire that was long enough, she threw out her parachute and she avoided taking safety equipment because it would make the plane heavier.
Then again, Neimanis tries to balance out Earhart's fatal flaws by showing how determined and hardworking she was. Earhart did about three interviews a day, and became a spokesmodel for Bob Dole. All of this responsibility and more put an insurmountable amount of strain on Earhart, and Neimanis did a great job showing how tiring her life became.
Earhart was a feminist, and one could even go as far as to say she possessed some very masculine characteristics. She was often caught saying "I do what I want."
"We need to be authentic. People today have lost their three dimensionality," Neimanis said. "We take no risks in that regard, we need to not be afraid of taking risks, of living on the edge. People need to work through their boundaries and get past them. I like the edge a lot, so did Amelia."
Going to see "Air Heart" is a refreshing reminder of what people can accomplish when the step outside themselves and take a walk on the edge.
The show will be running through the Feb. 17, Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday at 4 p.m. and at 8 p.m.
