THEATRE | THURSDAYS–SUNDAYS, MARCH 19–29 | $20–40
FUSION Theatre Company Presents AIRSWIMMING
FUSION Theatre Company is thrilled to present a play with themes that are absolutely pertinent to today, AIRSWIMMING by Charlotte Jones! We are excited to bring the writing of Charlotte Jones back to the stage after producing her award-winning play Humble Boy in 2013. Directed by Robb Anthony Sisneros, FUSION's production stars Wendy Barker and Nichole Hamilton. Two Show EZ Passes and individual tickets are available now!
“Airswimming” …is poignant, intelligent and at times wickedly funny.” —NY Times
“But shout it from the rooftops: “Airswimming” is a sparkling gem. —Backstage
Catch the wave with Dora and Persephone, a.k.a. Dorph and Porph, as they enact wild fantasies, including conjuring their muse Doris Day, who provides solace and hope during their many years of incarceration. Charlotte Jones’ dark comedy, Airswimming, is inspired by the real story of two British women, Miss Kitson and Miss Baker, who, in the early 1920s, were incarcerated in a hospital for the criminally insane as “moral imbeciles” - one for wishing to dress like a man and the other for bearing an illegitimate child.
Scandalously, the two inmates and many others who suffered a similar fate were not released until the 1970s. Charlotte Jones’ moving and enlightening play is a stark reminder of society’s cruel treatment endured by the forgotten women of these generations. The play also acts as a living testament to holocaust survivor Ellie Wiesel’s noted statement, “Even in darkness it is possible to create light.”
Performances will be from March 19–29, on Thursdays & Fridays at 7 PM, Saturdays at 2 PM & 7 PM, and Sundays at 3 PM. Opening night features a pre-show reception with doors opening at 6 PM!
FUSION | The Cell
700 1st. St. NW
Downtown ABQ
2026 Two Show EZ Passes and individual tickets are now available!
General Admission: $40 | Seniors over 65: $35 | Students: $20
AIRSWIMMING IN THE NEWS
Learn more about FUSION’s production in this article by FUSION staff writer, Rudolfo Carrillo, “Swimming Through the Air, Towards Freedom: The Director’s Cut!” PLUS read Carrillo’s interview of Nichole Hamilton, in “Airswimming: In Conversation with Nichole Hamilton,” and his interview of Wendy Barker in "Barker Becomes Baker Who Becomes Free." FUSION’s production of AIRSWIMMING is also covered in The Albuquerque Journal, in “Going against the tide: Two unconventional women find friendship, hope during decades of confinement in ‘Airswimming’” by Logan Royce Beitmen.
ABOUT CHARLOTTE JONES
CHARLOTTE JONES’ play Airswimming debuted in 1997 at the Battersea Arts Centre in London. Ms. Jones won the Critics’ Circle Most Promising Playwright award in 1999 for In Flame and Martha, Josie and the Chinese Elvis. Humble Boy premiered at the National Theatre in 2001 and was awarded the Critics’ Circle Best New Play Award, the People’s Choice Best New Play Award, and was nominated for an Olivier award. It transferred to the West End and ran for nine months before opening at the Manhattan Theatre Club in New York and being nominated for a Drama Desk award. Humble Boy also garnered Ms. Jones the 2001 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. Ms. Jones wrote the book to the 2004-2006 West End musical, The Woman in White, in collaboration with David Zippel and Andrew Lloyd Webber. Her career also includes writing extensively for TV, radio, and film.
Actors' Equity Association (AEA), founded in 1913, represents more than 45,000 actors and stage managers in the United States. Equity seeks to advance, promote and foster the art of live theatre as an essential component of our society. Equity negotiates wages and working conditions, providing a wide range of benefits, including health and pension plans. AEA is a member of the AFL-CIO, and is affiliated with FIA, an international organization of performing arts unions. The Equity emblem is our mark of excellence.