The Jersey Follettes: Shattering the Snooki Stereotype

After being bombarded with images of The Jersey Shore, Jerseylicious, and The Real Housewives, the Garden State could use a bit of a makeover. And that's where a group of real New Jersey girls come in. They are seeking to show off some of the talent and class boasted by residents of a state often maligned by reality television.

One of those girls is Montclair's own Mollie Gash, part of a new female singing group called the "Jersey Follettes" that aims to show off what New Jersey is really all about.

The Jersey Follettes will make their official debut on Saturday, Sept. 24 at The Oakes Center in Summit.

Noelle Tate, founder and director of The Jersey Follettes, has been in the entertainment industry for years. She said, “I have been performing and directing for a long time, mostly in New Jersey and Pennsylvania and, most recently, in New York.”

Tate said she prefers working with performers in New Jersey because she found them to be the most professional.

Tate started The Jersey Follettes because she wanted to show people a side of New Jersey that’s different from the way it’s depicted in popular culture. 

"I am proud of the many wonderful things that New Jersey has to offer and I would rather share that with the population," she said. "Why put out this awful representation of us that others will believe?”

She describes The Jersey Follettes as “an exciting new vocal performance group unique to New Jersey," adding that "the mission [is] to put New Jersey in a well-deserved positive light.”

The objective of fixing Jersey’s reputation made Gash want to audition for the group.

“I knew it was something for me. People who are not from New Jersey or don't know anyone from New Jersey really think we’re all like the people on [reality shows]," she said. "I've gone into auditions and been asked how ‘Jersey’ I was, i.e., how often I go tanning or to the shore. The Jersey Follettes are all about the real Jersey girls, the ones Bon Jovi and Springsteen sang about.”

Gash has been interested in performing since childhood.

“My very first acting experience was at summer camp at Bradford Elementary School," she said. "I was four and played a very convincing Evil Queen in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs."

Growing up, Gash’s family encouraged her interest in music. “My parents always sang to me, and not just lullabies,” she said.

She remembers spending afternoons listening to The Nutcracker and dancing with her sister in the living room.

Through the years, Gash consistently participated in Montclair’s arts community. She was an active member of the School of Visual and Performing Arts at Montclair High School every year as a student. During this time she sang her first solos in Showcase and played Emma Goldman in Ragtime during her senior year.

Gash went on to study theatre at Montclair State University. While studying at MSU, Gash was one of only 15 students picked to perform with Philadelphia's Pig Iron Theater Company in their New Jersey premiere of Pay Up at The Alexander Kasser Theatre.

Gash is proud to be from Montclair. She said, “It was a great town to grow up in. I was in the second class to graduate from Rand School, which sadly is no more, and I couldn't imagine going to a better elementary school.” Gash also appreciates Montclair’s multi-faceted cultural options. “You can't beat the proximity to New York. [Additionally,] we've got two YMCAs, an art museum, and enough restaurants to never run out of options," she said.

Gash has remained active in local community theatre and impressed Tate at her audition with her performance and demeanor. There are 11 girls in The Jersey Follettes, all of whom reside in or are from New Jersey, spanning Toms River to Wayne. Many members of the group are teachers or instructors, so The Jersey Follettes can create a set for any occasion. Tate says, “The group was created to celebrate New Jersey female talent and to feature the voices and strengths of each Follette.” Their repertoire includes Broadway, Pop, Doo Wop, Jersey anthems, national anthems, and jazz standards.

There are a few ingredients that make up every Follette girl according to Tate. The first ingredient is “exceptional talent in performing, acting, and singing,” she says.Next, each girl must have lived in and love New Jersey. The last ingredient, Tate says, is “class, professionalism, and the desire to portray New Jersey and [its] women in a positive light.”

One of Tate’s personal favorite aspects of New Jersey is the various sights and activities it has to offer throughout the year. “I love how many wonderful things you can do in New Jersey all year round. We experience all four seasons and New Jersey provides the best way to appreciate all of them: the beautiful Jersey shore and beaches, the farms and parks for pumpkin picking and hiking in the fall, the town centers and clean cities to walk around in and shop in the spring… and the skiing and snowboarding in the winter,” she said.

Gash also contributes writing for The Jersey Follettes, collaborating with Tate to put together dialogue for the show. “All the songs were laid out in order and it was my job, with guidance from Noelle, to write the scenes that went around them and moved our storyline,” Gash said.

The official opening, “Introducing… The Jersey Follettes”, will explain to audiences who The Jersey Follettes are and what the group is about. “We’re using this show as an introduction to the group, [so] the first act follows the story of the auditions and forming of The Jersey Follettes. The second act focuses on friendship and love, universal themes for our audience,” Gash said.

The girls have been rehearsing multiple times per week together and independently since early July in preparation for the opening. The show will include musical theatre songs and pop mashups composed and arranged by the girls. “[The mashups] are very different and extremely fun,” Tate says. The event also features an A cappella Adele medley. Tate is hoping the show tours for a while.

The Jersey Follettes are available for booking, particularly Jersey events such as festivals or fairs. They also hope to perform with other New Jersey musicians in the future. Additionally, The Jersey Follettes provide coaching, classes, and educational clinics. 

The opening performance for "Jersey Follettes" is scheduled for Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. at The Oakes Center, 120 Morris Avenue, Summit, NJ 07901.

Learn more about the group at www.jerseyfollettes.com. The Follettes are also on Facebook at www.facebook.com/jerseyfollettes and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/@jerseyfollettes.