“Out there, full of shine and full of sparkle,” there’s a world to be seen and experienced! Welcome to Freedom Theatre’s production of Hello, Dolly!, a classic musical where everyone has their chance at finding love if they know where to look for it! In this show, we are taking you back to a world before technology, before big entertainment, to the 1890’s, a time when your best chance at fun was finding yourself part of an adventure. This fast paced, comedic musical is centered around Dolly Levi and her career as a matchmaker, but also focuses on the escapades of Horace Vandergelder, and his employees, Cornelius and Barnaby. Find out more about the story by reading the End Notes written by our Dramaturgy Research Team!
This production process has had its share of unique challenges: SO many snow days canceling our rehearsal calls, a bout of serious illness that plagued a lot of us during tech week, advancing to a regional competition scheduled mere days before the show on a tech rehearsal day, and a jam-packed rehearsal schedule. However, this ensemble of students rose to each challenge with tenacity and conviction! The commitment and ingenuity in this production amazes me, even in the face of quite a busy and stressful Winter season. I am grateful that theatre arts are alive and well at Freedom High School, and I am proud of my students for the heart and soul they have put into this musical.
Our musical production could not have come together without the dedication and indomitable spirit of this cast and crew. I am deeply honored to be a part of such a creative and unique group of young artists, and I would like to express my extreme gratitude for the hard work put into this production. As always, our outstanding parent support provided the backbone for the show to succeed, while the sincere dedication of the actors, musicians, and technicians allowed its grace. This is the biggest set we’ve had on stage in years! And that’s just the biggest of the marvels you will see on stage tonight!
Thank you to Marie Knight and Lillian Green, for their music direction, Barrett Disse-Garrison for her choreography guidance, and thank you to TJ Hartless for guiding the show’s technical teams. Thank you to Calyna Chen, Nicole Kable, and their assistant choreographers, for their leadership and imaginative choreography. Thank you to Kaliyah Ambrose and Abby Ramesh, my two stage managers, who between the two of them share at least half of my own brain and lead the process alongside me. It took the commitment and collaboration of every person involved, and I could not be more proud of the work we have created together as an ensemble. We hope you enjoy the show!
