Kokomo Campus Theater: Hello Out There

On December 19, 1962, Kokomo Campus Theater premiered its production of Hello Out There, a one-act play by William Saroyan.

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Cast of Hello Out There, left to right: Ron Booth, Arliss Jeffries, Linda Smith, Ross Easterday, Gloria Francis, Charles Taylor.

Directed by Robert Hennon, Hello Out There starred two black students, Gloria Francis and Charles Taylor, in this 1941 play about a man in jail following a false rape accusation. 

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Hello Out There, 1962

The Kokomo Tribune introduced readers to the production's two young stars in advance of opening night. Charles Taylor is described as familiar to readers of the Tribune due to his success in athletics while a student at Kokomo High School. Gloria Taylor was "no stranger to the stage" but a newcomer to Kokomo after graduating high school in Tampa, Florida. 

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Gloria Francis and Charles Taylor in Hello Out There, 1962

"The emotion-packed one-act drama, under the direction of Robert D. Hennon, resident lecturer in speech and theater at the Kokomo Campus, provided moments of suspense, fear, bitterness, disgust, tenderness and rage, all portrayed with sensitivity on the part of the players."

- Louise Ondrick, "IU Staging Here Runs Gamut of Emotions," The Kokomo Tribune