Will you answer the call?

The Hello Girls

Auditions: Sunday 19 November

Bijou Tasmania is delighted to announce auditions for its 2024 production, the Tasmanian premiere of the delightful new American musical, The Hello Girls.

Please read the information below and fill out the form to book an audition.

About the show

From New York to Paris, from ragtime to jazz: The Hello Girls chronicles the story of America’s first women soldiers in this new musical inspired by history. These intrepid heroines served as bilingual telephone operators on the front lines, helping turn the tide of World War I. They then returned home to fight a decades-long battle for equality and recognition, paving the way for future generations.

The Hello Girls was originally commissioned and premiered by NYC’s Prospect Theater Company in 2017 to celebrate the centennial of these groundbreaking women.

Season

2 – 11 May 2024 • The Playhouse Theatre, Hobart

Creative team

Director Karen Kluss
Musical Director Petr Divis
Choreographer Mandy Lowrie

Key Dates

Thursday 2 May 7.30pm (Opening night)
Friday 3 May 7.30pm
Saturday 4 May 7.30pm
Sunday 5 May 3.30pm
Tuesday 7 May 7.30pm (TBC)
Wednesday 8 May 7.30pm
Thursday 9 May 7.30pm
Friday 10 May 7.30pm
Saturday 11 May 2pm
Saturday 11 May 7.30pm

Rehearsals

Rehearsals will be two nights a week and one full day weekend day from mid-February 2024 onwards with a potential first read / get together in early January. Not everyone will be called to every rehearsal. Rehearsals will gear up in the final weeks leading up to opening night, with the possibility of three nights a week and a full weekend in the week preceding production week, with calls every night in production week.

Honorarium

Bijou offers performers a small honorarium for their participation in the show as a token of appreciation. The honorarium for The Hello Girls is $150 each, with the possibility of extra if the show makes a profit.

Roles

There are ten roles in this show – five women and five men. The five women in this show feature heavily whilst the men, with the exception Captain Riser and General Pershing, play a variety of roles.

As it’s a small cast and complex harmonies are required, we will require strong and experienced singer/actors for all roles. Listen to the album on YouTube to get familiar with the music and vocal ability required.

All roles in this show are open for audition. Age ranges are indicative only and
auditions are open to those aged 18+.

  • Articulate and poised, with a core of steely strength that makes itself apparent as she grows into her role as leader. Strong mezzo belt.

  • From New York City. Feisty, sardonic, toughtalking. A close friend of Grace’s from AT&T.

  • From Idaho. A typical small-town farm girl... Sweet, over-enthusiastic, wholesomely kooky and prone to nervous panic.

  • Married to a Navy doctor who is also serving. Older, wiser, reliable – the Den Mother. Extremely knowledgeable about military matters.

  • Fearless, flirty, headstrong and often insubordinate. Born in France, she has family fighting with the French army. Needs to have a convincing French accent.

  • The Signal Corps commanding officer who recruits and trains the women, and journeys with them to the front; a career army man, a stickler for rules and order, he is sceptical of the women’s presence in the army, even as his own success relies on theirs; he develops a close working relationship with Grace, who challenges his world view and converts him to an advocate.

  • Head of the American recruiting centre for the Signal Corps.

  • An enlisted man for the Signal Corps, who works closely with Lt. Riser.

  • A Signal Corps operator at the central Paris Telephone Exchange.

  • Commander of the American Expeditionary Forces; hard, relentless, inflexible, with a deep sense of honour and American individualism and identity.

Song List

  1. Answer the Call – Grace Banker, Captain Riser, Helen Hill, Lt Earnest Wessen, Pvt. Eugene Matterson, Pvt. Robert Dempsey, Bertha Hunt, Suzanne Prevot, Louise Le Breton, General Pershing

  2. Connected Pt. 1 – Grace Banker, Suzanne Prevot, Helen Hill, Louise Le Breton, Bertha Hunt

  3. Connected Pt. 2 – Grace Banker

  4. We Aren’t in the Army – Grace Banker, Suzanne Prevot, Louise Le Breton, Bertha Hunt, Helen Hill

  5. Marching Orders – Captain Riser

  6. Je M’en Fiche – Louise Le Breton, Suzanne Prevot, Bertha Hunt, Helen Hill, Grace Banker, Lt Earnest Wessen, Pvt. Eugene Matterson, Pvt. Robert Dempsey

  7. Riser’s Reprimand – Captain Riser

  8. See you on the other side – Grace Banker, Captain Riser, Helen Hill, Lt Earnest Wessen, Pvt. Eugene Matterson, Pvt. Robert Dempsey, Bertha Hunt, Suzanne Prevot, Louise Le Breton, General Pershing

  9. Hello Girls – Grace Banker, Suzanne Prevot, Helen Hill, Louise Le Breton, Bertha Hunt, Lt Earnest Wessen, Pvt. Eugene Matterson, Pvt. Robert Dempsey

  10. Quinze Minutes – Bertha Hunt, Helen Hill, Suzanne Prevot, Grace Banker, Louise Le Breton

  11. Cantigny – General Pershing

  12. Lives on the Line – Grace Banker, Captain Riser, Helen Hill, Lt Earnest Wessen, Pvt. Eugene Matterson, Pvt. Robert Dempsey, Bertha Hunt, Suzanne Prevot, Louise Le Breton, General Pershing

  13. The Front – Grace Banker, Captain Riser, Helen Hill, Lt Earnest Wessen, Pvt. Eugene Matterson, Pvt. Robert Dempsey, Bertha Hunt, Suzanne Prevot, Louise Le Breton, General Pershing

  14. Switchboard Lesson – Suzanne Prevot, Lt Earnest Wessen

  15. Cryptic Triptych – Helen Hill, Bertha Hunt, Louise Le Breton, Lt Earnest Wessen, Pvt. Eugene Matterson, Pvt. Robert Dempsey

  16. Twenty – Grace Banker

  17. So Good So Far – Helen Hill, Bertha Hunt, Grace Banker

  18. The Lost Battalion – Captain Riser

  19. The Duration – Grace Banker, Suzanne Prevot, Helen Hill, Louise Le Breton, Bertha Hunt, Lt Earnest Wessen, Pvt. Eugene Matterson, Pvt. Robert Dempsey

  20. Suzanne’s Letter – Suzanna Prevot

  21. The Lost Battalion – Captain Riser

  22. Making History – Grace Banker, Captain Riser, Helen Hill, Lt Earnest Wessen, Pvt. Eugene Matterson, Pvt. Robert Dempsey, Bertha Hunt, Suzanne Prevot, Louise Le Breton, General Pershing

What to prepare

Own Choice – Choose a short (2-3 minute) excerpt from a musical theatre song. It should be something you know well that demonstrates your vocal qualities. Please arrange a backing track to play at the audition (more information below) or arrange for your accompanist to attend on the day. Don’t choose a song without accompaniment.

– AND –

Show Excerpt – Prepare the brief excerpt from the show (female or male) that’s included below, as well as a YouTube link for reference. This is just a few bars and doesn’t need to be memorised, but you should learn the harmony part as indicated in the music (not the melody line).

Ready to audition?

Fill out the registration form below and we will be in touch to confirm your audition time along with more details, including the audition location and what to bring.

Auditions will take place on Sunday 19 November with potential callbacks on the evening of Monday 20 November.

Auditions will take approx. 5-10 minutes and you’ll be called in a block so there may be a short wait time. There are limited times available so get in as early as possible to ensure your preferred time.

Got questions about the show or auditions?

Send us an email and we’ll get back to you.