Rock of Ages to Attempt Record-Breaking Air Guitar Ensemble July 1
Tony-nominated Rock of Ages will team with US Air Guitar, operators of the United States Air Guitar Championships, to attempt breaking the Guinness World Record for “Largest Air Guitar Ensemble” on July 1. The event, featuring Tony Award nominee Constantine Maroulis and 2007 National Air Guitar champion Andrew “William Ocean” Litz, will strum its first faux-chords directly following the show’s matinee performance at the Brooks Atkinson Theater.
Ocean, a five-time air guitar title winner, and the Rock of Ages cast will take the stage beginning at 4:30pm to teach the audience, crew and additional participants how to properly play air guitar. A talk back with the cast, including giveaways, will follow the air concert while a Guinness World Records adjudicator tabulates the ballots.
The current record for largest air guitar ensemble stands at 440 guitar heroes, who assembled at Electronic Arts’ Download Festival in Donington Park, UK, on June 13, 2009.
Non-ticket holders who wish to assist in breaking the record should arrive at the Brooks Atkinson Theater at 4:20 with intention to shred.
US Air Guitar is "devoted to taking the nation's pastime out out of the bedroom and putting it on the world stage." Founded in 2003, the US Air Guitar Championships has grown into a major national event which sends its winners to represent the country at the Air Guitar World Championships in Oulu, Finland.
Rock of Ages currently features Maroulis, Amy Spanger, James Carpinello, Adam Dannheisser, Mitchell Jarvis, Michele Mais, Lauren Molina, Paul Schoeffler, Wesley Taylor, Ericka Hunter, Jeremy Jordan, Michael Minarik, Angel Reed, Bahiyah Sayyed-Gaines, Katherine Tokarz, Andre Ward, Savannah Wise, Tad Wilson and Jeremy Woodard. On stage band Arsenal features music director/ keyboardist Henry Aronson, lead guitarist Joel Hoekstra, drummer Jon Weber, bassist Winston Roye and guitar player David Gibbs, who also wrote the original arrangements. The music supervision, arrangements and orchestrations are by Ethan Popp. The show is written by Chris D’Arienzo, directed by Kristin Hanggi and choreographed by Kelly Devine.
