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We are on the Air (Estamos en el aire)
Country :Chile
translated by Prof. Charles Philip Thomas
(Estamos) en el aire (We are on the Air) is a satire on television where according to Marco Antonio de la Parra, “this family functions as if it were on a television channel and everything was on the air. Not only do they think they are on a TV program: absolutely all of their activities revolve around the small screen. It's a mixture of black humor, gore, cop shows, comedies and tragedies with a wild and somewhat grotesque result.” The play premiered in fall 2001 to good reviews and as it turns out it seems to foreshadow two popular television programs; The Osbournes and Arrested Development, with their portrayals of a dysfunctional families and outrageous behavior. The play can easily be adapted to fit events and cultural references for any particular country. De la Parra's purpose is also to explore the relationship between television and theatre where “theatre has never worked on television and television in the theatre is amusing and pathetic.” With so much show, bottled happiness and televised lives, the play provides an acid look at a society in which the small screen has become an almost indisputable idol.
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