Allison Robbins will present “Entertaining with Troops: Female Impersonation in World War I Service Shows” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21, in Nahm Auditorium in W.C. Morris Building as part of the Great War History Lecture Series.

In 1918, Broadway saw numerous musical revues produced and performed by Army and Navy recruits who sang and danced on the New York stage, some while dressed as chorus girls. The men’s female impersonation may seem at odds with their identity as soldiers soon to depart for Europe, yet audiences found these performances touching, even in their hilarity, according to a news release. This lecture will explore the role female impersonation had within shows like Irving Berlin’s “Yip Yip Yaphank!” and consider what these soldiers’ performances meant for World War I servicemen and the audiences they entertained.

For more information, visit: http://gwhls.blogspot.com/2015/10/entertaining-with-troops.html.