The Hello Girls

 

IN THIS BETWEEN THE LINES:

JULY 12 – AUGUST 12, 2023
Previews: July 12 & 13 at 7:30pm 
Opening Night: July 14 at 8pm
Pay What You Can: July 19 at 7:30pm

SHOW TIMES
Wed/Thu: 7:30pm
Fri/Sat: 8pm
Sat Mat: 2pm

Length: Approx. 2 1/2 hours, including a 15-minute intermission
Age Recommendation: 12+ (children under 5 are never admitted)

Read the digital Encore program in advance.

P.S. Don’t forget: Subscribers get $7 off additional regularly priced single tickets to Jewell Mainstage productions!

Masks are optional (except at mask-required performances). Taproot respects and supports all who choose to wear a mask. This policy is subject to change. Taproot has made structural changes that increase the intake of outside air, upgraded air filters to MERV-13, and added UV air-purifiers to the HVAC system. Click to read essential details.

 

America’s First Female Soldiers Feature in Regional Premiere of The Hello Girls at Taproot Theatre

The Hello GIrlsAmerica’s first female soldiers answer the call in Taproot Theatre’s summer musical, the regional premiere of The Hello Girls, with music and lyrics by Peter Mills and book by Peter Mills and Cara Reichel. Directed by Karen Lund, the show opens on July 14, 2023 and runs through August 12, 2023.

“Imagine a time when the world was divided. … A world where freedom is under assault … A world where nationalism is on the rise… We’re talking about the year 1918, of course”.

Helmet, check. Gas Mask, check… Lipstick, check. In this new musical, Grace Banker and her fellow switchboard operators are answering the call when the Bell Battalion Telephonic Ladies’ Switchboard Unit #1 makes history as America’s first female soldiers.

Karen Lund directs a cast including Miranda Antoinette, Jeff Church, Rebecca Cort, Lauren Engstrom, Cassie Q. Kohl, Rico Lastrapes, Casey Raiha, Jeremy Steckler, Fune Tautala, and Jessica Ziegelbauer. Understudies include Abigail Brittle, Keola Holt, Brandon Riel, and Jaqueline Tardanico. Musicians includes Michael Nutting, David Taylor Gomes, Jeremy Lynch, Matthew Tevenan, Scot Sexton, Jeremy Steckler, Rico Lastrapes, Rebecca Cort, Lauren Engstrom, and Casey Raiha.

The production team includes Michael Nutting, music director; Bretteney Beverly, associate director; Nik Nolan, assistant director; Mark Lund, scenic and sound design; Nanette Acosta, costume design; Ahren Buhmann, lighting design; Rachel Victoria Miller, stage manager; Katy Tabb, choreographer; Marianna de Fazio, dialect coach; and Rowan Gallagher, dramaturg.

Tickets are on sale now! Learn more here →

ACTOR SPOTLIGHT

A conversation with Cassi Q. Kohl (Grace Banker)

Cassi Q. KohlThis is your Taproot debut but you’re not a stranger here. Tell us about your first time coming to Taproot as a member of the audience, and then what it was like when you were cast in The Hello Girls.

The first time I came to Taproot was to see Man of La Mancha way back in 2010. I was an undergrad at the University of Washington’s school of music and knew some of the instrumentalists in the show. I remember sitting house right, in the upper section of the theatre and being floored by the talent and the space. It was so incredible to see a show that intense and intimate from such an angle. Being cast at this theatre (13 years later!), I am so excited to know that we get to tell this incredible story with the audience surrounding us in such a unique way.

As you’ve prepared for the role, what have you found the most interesting or inspiring, and how does that impact your performance?

I’m inspired by the patience and grit of Grace Banker and her troops to excel at their jobs while living in a man’s world. One quote from Grace that resonates with me is “One fights best with patience and with understanding.” It’s a beautiful thought to arm yourself with patience and understanding in the midst of opposing views or while in uncharted territory.

Your own great grandmother was a trailblazer, like the women in The Hello Girls. Tell us more about that, and what that means to you as you immerse yourself in the life of Grace Banker?

It is so exciting to know that I come from a line of such strong women! At the time, my Great-Grandmother Marge Larsen was the highest ranking female in the Coast Guard Auxiliary. She was the first elected rear commodore (later titled “Captain”) of San Francisco’s Flotilla 17. At one point, her boat crashed and she was stranded in the middle of the ocean without food or water for three days with two other survivors. Seeing the parallels of determination and trailblazing in both her and Grace’s story are exciting. I have enjoyed reading some of what Grace’s own granddaughter has written about Grace and her memories there as I prepare for this role.

What do you hope that the audience experiences and takes home with them after the production?

I hope they leave inspired by the story and also challenged to fight for justice. I hope there is reflection for being on the right side of history and following any personal callings they have in their own life.

SPECIAL EVENTS

Wine Tasting

Thursday, July 20 at 6pm

While America’s first female soldiers make history in World War I France in The Hello Girls, savor the expressions of French grapes artfully grafted by American winemakers in a special wine tasting event.

On July 20 at 6pm, enjoy several wines produced by the Orcas Project, an experimental winery based on Orcas Island that works with vineyards, grapes, and winemakers across the Pacific Northwest.

Then head into the theatre to be transported to a bygone era when the women of the Bell Battalion Telephonic Ladies’ Switchboard Unit #1 make history as America’s first female soldiers in The Hello Girls. Click to learn more!

Knitting Night

Friday, July 21

While the women of the Bell Battalion Telephonic Ladies’ Switchboard Unit #1 make history as America’s first female soldiers in The Hello Girls, weave yourself into history by knitting your way through the show on July 21.

To honor the remarkable knitting efforts of over 6,000 Seattle-area knitters who produced items for American soldiers during World War I, Taproot invites you to a special knitting night. To unlock access to the Knitting Gallery, where you can knit with friends and fellow patrons in select seats, choose your date when purchasing online, then use promo code NEEDLE* when you buy your tickets.

As you knit and purl your way through the performance, each stitch becomes a testament to the spirit of the past as you knit for victory in a truly immersive setting. Click to learn more.

All participants must be 21+.  ID will be required at the event. 

 

ART SPOTLIGHT:

Small Observations: Works by Maggie Ramirez Burns

June 30 – August 30, 2023

 

Transformation is a central aspect of The Hello Girls–the changes felt by the women whose lives were transformed by WWI and their new roles in the Army, the transformation of the Army structure to include women, and the way communication signals translate as they “flow through the circuits across the many miles and find their way.” Transformation is also central to the work of artist Maggie Ramirez Burns. Her botanical collages highlight the recycling of simple paper – some new, some reused – for compositions that reflect its rejuvenation into new forms.

Maggie Ramirez Burns artMaggie uses the shapes of botanical and marine vegetation in three dimensions to create flow and movement on and off the structural surface. This self-taught creator’s art is a union of her life experiences, inspirations, and the untimely death of her mother.

“Experiencing loss at an early age naturally changed the way I viewed the world. Not taking anything for granted, my tendency to make small observations ~ colors in the sky and sea, the structure of a petal, the crosscurrent of a tide, a breeze moving through a tree ~ is what influences my choices in creating colorful abstracted depictions of botanicals.”

~~~~~~~~~~

Maggie Ramirez Burns is a self-taught artist. A first generation American of Hispanic parents, she is a California native transplant in the Pacific Northwest where she has lived for over 20 years. She finds peace and solace in her studio, creating beautiful, delicate pieces that compel the viewer to slow down, to breathe, and to honor one’s life in the appreciation of the smallest things in nature. Maggie has been practicing art since 2014 while being the Creative Director of her own shoe business, re-souL in Ballard and Sole Food in University Village. Maggie’s original art is represented by Seattle Art Source and Venue, as well as through maggierburns.com.

The pieces displayed in this exhibition are available from Seattle Art Source. You may contact Sarah and her team through https://seattleartsource.com/contact/. All works are available for purchase unless marked by a red dot.

– Gina Cavallo, Curator, Director of Development, Taproot Theatre

 

NEXT ON THE JEWELL MAINSTAGE: Last Drive to Dodge

Prophet and Ro are chasing dreams faintly whispered on the wind that sweeps the dusty Texas plain, where ranching is brutal work and change is on the horizon. Set at the end of the Cowboy Golden Age, Last Drive to Dodge examines race, love, and legacy in a time when everyone is scrambling for their piece of the American Dream.

September 20 — October 21

SINGLE TICKETS ON SALE July 18!

 

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