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Chronicling the story of America’s first women soldiers, The Hello Girls is an exciting new musical that takes us from New York to the WWI frontlines in France. It is the story of the groundbreaking work of women telephone operators and their expertise in the field of communications that played a central role in turning the tide of World War I in favor of the Allies. Once home they fought a decades long battle for recognition and equality as members of the armed services.The Hello Girls is set primarily during 1917-18. When the U.S. entered WWI, General Pershing was frustrated by poor communications and issued a recruiting call for American telephone operators who could speak French. From a pool of over 7,000 applicants, 450 women were selected and received training. Among American soldiers and officers, they quickly became known as the “Hello Girls” and were regarded as a crucial part of the war effort.
Rehearsals begin February 24th.
Rehearsals will take place at The Hut in Fair Oaks and Sierra 2 in Sacramento.
Performances are April 18 - May 4th at The Ooley in Sacramento.
Character Descriptions:
Grace Banker: The leader of the Squadron, from New Jersey, the successful, effective, and beloved telephone supervisor before joining the Army and leading the Squadron. Soprano
Suzanne Prevot: Grace’s close friend and former telephone operator. From New York tough talking, and fierce suffragette. Alto
Louise Breton: Young San Franciscan, who lies about her age in order to join the war effort. She was born in France, has family fighting in France, and speaks fluent French. 2nd Soprano
Helen Hill: Small town girl from Boise with 16 brothers and sisters, she is young, a little kooky, and prone to nerves. Soprano.
Bertha Hunt: Married San Franciscan, down to earth, with military background. Alto.
Capt. Joseph Riser: Commanding Officer who both trains and accompanies the women to the front lines. He is a stickler to the rules, wary of women in the army, who becomes their fiercest advocate.
General John Pershing: Commander of the American Expeditionary Forces. Known for his deep sense of honour and relentless inflexibility.
Lt. Ernest Wessen: (and other roles): Head of US Recruiting centre for the Signal Corp. Pvt. Eugene Masterson: (and others: Enlisted man in the Signal Corp, working closely with Lt. Riser
Robert Dempsey: (and others): Signal Corp operator at the Paris Telephone Exchange.
What to Prepare:
Vocal Range: Female range is from G below middle C to Bb above the stave. Male range is from A below middle C to G above the stave. All must be able to hold a strong, tight harmony line and have a wide vocal range. There will be some light choreography.
Please prepare no more than 32 bars of music, in your range, and bring backing track to sing to on a device
Please bring a resume, headshot and a list of conflicts that you may have during rehearsal times.
Break a leg!
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Event Venue & Nearby Stays
7973 Park Dr, Fair Oaks, CA 95628-7168, United States
