History comes to life onstage as the stories of the first women soldiers of World War I are told one telephone call at a time.
Presented by Idaho Falls High School ROAR Theatre Company, and performed for the first time in eastern Idaho, “Hello Girls” is a musical that features unique, contemporary music, dance and design elements from the first female soldiers who served in France as bilingual telephone operators.
Students from the school’s musical theatre class comprise the cast and it’s directed by Megan Anderson.
“I think one of the most amazing things about the story is its focus on the courage of everyday people and what they are willing to go through and overcome in terms of challenge,” Anderson said. “All of these women and these characters are real people who actually lived. And it's amazing to see what these women sacrificed for their country.”
The students began rehearsing just before Christmas break and have worked countless hours inside of class and out.
“The music in this show is particularly difficult because there's a lot of three-to-five-part harmony that makes it really difficult to sing. So, they have had their work cut out for them, learning the music and the dances and then the blocking,” Anderson said. “The technical students have been doing an amazing job of building the set and creating costumes, designing the lights and the sound for the show.”
Opening night is Wednesday at 7 p.m. and shows run through Saturday at Taylorview Middle School in the auditorium. Doors open each night at 6:30.
“The music is beautiful, and the story is absolutely wonderful and the students are doing an incredible job with their storytelling talents, both through design elements, acting elements, music, dance, it's all coming together to make a really cool show,” Anderson said. “There's something for everyone and it is absolutely a show you do not want to miss.”
You can purchase tickets for $10 at Ifhsroartheatre.ludus.com and find more information on Facebook at Idaho Falls High School.