Who is Christina Gelsone?
Christina Gelsone. I’m one of the creators of Air Play, which I made with my performing partner, Seth Bloom. He’s also my husband. We live in New York City.
What would you do differently to what you do now?
I’m described as a clown or silent comedian, so I’m truly living a dream making people laugh around the world. But… yes, I do have a secret wish-I-could-be-when-I-grow-up: an ornithologist. Binoculars are my first item in my bag, along with a field guide for the country we are in. Last time we were in Australia, I saw over 100 different species of birds. Your Galahs always catch my breath, and I was effervescent for days after seeing a Superb Fairy-wren.
What inspires you and why?
Food. Really. I’m convinced I perform in order to travel in order to eat, especially local food. I guess it’s not so odd: Seth and I perform without words, so we can make laughter without a language barrier. What unites us all, what is funny everywhere?Food, like laughter, fulfills the same universal desires.
What would you do to make a difference in the world?
My most basic purpose in life is to make people laugh together: for each other, not at each other. It’s small thing, making one laugh at a time, all over the world. I met Seth in Afghanistan, and we’ve worked in dozens of other countries still doing just that – making laughter, making hope.
When friends come to town, what attraction would you take them to, and why?
You’re asking about New York City, right? The High Line – It’s a long park built on an old elevated train track. You see everything along the way: the old buildings falling apart smashed next to bright new high rises, poorer pockets of old neighborhoods a block away from fashion and fortunes, a great view of a train yard that pulses 600,000 people in and out of the city every day, the beautiful river that surrounds our island, native grasses and trees that were growing up on the deserted train track, a bird’s eye view of traffic and all the famous buildings, a gorgeous art museum, and then… only to the few who spot it, far off and framed between skyscrapers, there she is, the Statue of Liberty.
What are you currently reading?
The Hidden Lives of Owls. Yes, it’s about owls.
What are you currently listening to?
This very moment? Cherokee Louise by Joni Mitchell, the orchestral version.
Happiness is?
Kimchi with Seth. He’s an amazing cook, and my favorite dinners with him usually have kimchi.
What does the future hold for you?
We’re seeing Australian friends in Melbourne! After performing with them all over Europe and Canada, we finally get to see them on their home turf. After that, Air Play is back on the road.
Air Play will be presented in an Australian exclusive, premiere season at Arts Centre Melbourne: 18 – 22 January 2017. For more information, visit: www.artscentremelbourne.com.au for details.
Image: Christina Gelsone