Director: Matt Owens
Choreographer: Gretchen Obergefell
Music Director: Jenn Clark
Monday, April 22, or Tuesday, April 23, at 7pm each night
Callbacks on Wednesday, April 24, at 7pm
Performance dates are June 21-30
Prepare one minute of a Broadway-style song that demonstrates your vocal abilities and character. An accompanist and Bluetooth speaker will be provided.
Auditioners should also be prepared to learn a brief dance combination to demonstrate movement ability.
Please arrive early to fill out audition form, which will include a listing of any conflicts between April 29 and the opening of the show on June 21.
We are looking for diverse performers to build a vocally strong ensemble of five women and at least five men who can each independently hold a harmony line.
Character Breakdown (general “stage age” listed in parentheses):
Grace Banker (mid 20s-30s): From Passaic, New Jersey; the leader of the squadron that went to the front, she received the Distinguished Service Medal for her bravery under fire; graduated from Barnard in 1915 and worked at AT&T as a telephone operator and supervisor before joining the army; articulate and poised, with a core of steely strength that makes itself apparent as she grows into her role as leader.
Suzanne Prevot (mid 20s-30s): From New York City; feisty, sardonic, tough talking; a close friend of Grace’s from AT&T; she was among the few who lived to be officially recognized by the Army; very invested in the fight for women’s suffrage and leads the women’s fight for recognition after the war.
Louise LeBreton (late teens-early 20s): From San Francisco; fearless, flirty, headstrong and often insubordinate; she lies about her age to join the army; born in France, she has family fighting with the French army.
Helen Hill (early 20s-30s): From outside Boise, Idaho; a typical small town farm girl. From a family of 17 children with a mother who speaks French; sweet, over-enthusiastic, wholesomely kooky and prone to nervous panic.
Bertha Hunt (30s-40s): From San Francisco; married to a Navy doctor who is also serving; older, wiser, reliable; The Den Mother; extremely knowledgeable about military matters.
Cpt. Joseph Riser (30s to 40s): 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 skeptical 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.
Gen. John Pershing (40s to 50s): Commander of the American Expeditionary Forces; Hard, relentless, inflexible, with a deep sense of honor and American individualism and identity.
Pvt. Eugene Matterson* (20s to 30s): An enlisted man who works closely with Lt. Riser.
Lt. Ernest Wessen* (20s to 30s): Head of the recruiting center for the Signal Corps
Pvt. Robert Dempsey* (20s to 30s): A Signal Corps operator at the Paris Telephone Exchange
Behind the Curtain Cincinnati 