- [Announcer] Whenever you're ready, boys.

- [Musician] A one, two, a one, two.

(lively music) - People can expect to see a story of resilience, of perseverance, of unity.

A story in which we show how good it can be to challenge the status quo.

(lively music continues) - I was searching for a story to inspire my female actors, and there was a dearth of female stories out there.

So I decided to start writing my own works.

And then once they kind of uncovered it, really it was, is like kind of mirroring art and history.

- Rosie the Riveter.

If you join her we can- - Rosie as like a character has been really interesting to imagine what that icon's life might've been had she actually existed.

It's been cool.

♪ Why don't you come on over that way ♪ - [Trey] During the second World War when factories had large portions of their workforce either volunteered or drafted, there was a very real labor shortage.

And women from all across the country, from rural backgrounds and everything, would join the US workforce to build equipment.

I started researching, and started pulling lots of dialogue from real people's stories.

And sort of started putting this sort of piece together.

- [Announcer] The largest amphibious invasion the world has ever seen.

- Two years ago, at Great Bridge High School, I came and I met Keegan.

And we started a relationship 'cause he was very interested, 'cause I called him and asked, "Can I have a plane?"

And he was like, "I've never been asked that before."

- So we loaned them a fuselage that was under construction, very much looked like it would belong on a factory floor.

That was kind of a quirky thing.

And it was exciting and engaging.

And those drama students at the high school got to work on this real airplane.

- [Trey] From there, when I was bringing all his stuff back, including a plane, he said, "Well, I would love to have this here."

And I said, "Me too."

And so we sort of started a year long conversation about how to transform a stage play into an experience that was at the museum.

- But we met in high school.

I was a cheerleader and he was the president of our class.

- [Trey] We really want it to be immersive, experiential.

Sweep the audience up in the space and transport them back to the era.

- Which would encompass the audience being a part of the production.

And not in the way that we put the lights on them, and give them lines to say.

But in a way that they are close to the scenes and the energy, and they get to participate in some of the scenes if they want to.

But they are part of the world and the environment of the show.

And we get to allow them to experience it, rather than just to sit and watch it.

- [Trey] In a stage play, you can follow Rosie from scene to scene.

But in an immersive experience you're going everywhere and you might not catch that character but a few different times on your track.

So we had to decide like, how can we make that feeling of that piece, and the communication of that piece, fit in this environment?

- [Julie] It's been a lot of trial and error, timing things, cutting lines, adding lines.

Just trying to make everything flow together as best as possible.

- I'm used to doing shows in, you know, a big old theater, on a stage where there's a huge divide between the cast and the audience.

And so, I think it's pretty vulnerable.

I think that it makes us as actors be more engaged.

Because, you know, the people we're talking to are right in front of us.

And I think it also helps the audience be more engaged, I've seen and heard.

And I think that that's pretty beautiful.

There's not so much of a separation.

It's like you're all in it together.

- I couldn't even give you one of those cushy jobs working at the patent office.

So then what, when I- - Well I understand that.

- [Christine] A lot of the samples from some of the scenes are from letters that real women wrote home.

And when you're coming into this hangar in particular, and you're seeing planes that were built by women, it's a beautiful thing.

And it really hits you when you first enter the space.

- It is an honor to be a part of this production where I can pay even just a little bit of an homage to the women who came before me.

(siren wailing) (characters shouting) - [Trey] It's really great to have people, what I call in theater, yes and projects.

A lot of times, in our world, the answer's no.

And I found like Keegan was a big proponent in the museum to say yes, why not?

I even brought my students out here, and they learned to rivet.

Our actors have learned to rivet during this production.

So like all together, everyone just kind of getting on board and having that collaboration, you know, great things can happen.

And that's how art gets built.

(audience clapping and cheering) (jaunty music) (audience clapping) (audience cheering)