"The Hundred Dresses" explores bullying through the eyes of the aggressor


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Freshman Jenna Walker, left, and sophomore Claire Sullivan, right, perform during the dress rehearsal of the production "The Hundred Dresses" Feb. 10 in Bush Theater.

A backdrop shows a room that warps into one with colorful, bent furniture. The scene is meant to fit the image in Maddie Reeves' mind as she imagines what she could have done to save Wanda Petronski.

Grand Rapids freshman Jenna Walker plays Maddie, a young girl who silently watches as her American friends ridicule her Polish immigrant classmate, Wanda, in University Theater’s first performance of “The Hundred Dresses." 

“Everyone is saying it turned out a lot cuter than we thought it would because it’s a serious story,” Sullivan said. “It has turned out more light-hearted and sweet.”

Freshman Clare Sullivan said playing her character was a challenge.

Meet the Cast

Freshman Claire Sullivan: Peggy

Freshman Nicholas Pettengill: Willie

Freshman Erik Nowicki: Jack

Senior Katrina Thennes: Cecile

Freshman Taylor McKinnon: Wanda

”I’ve never played someone so rude before,” Sullivan said. “I’d had to find the aspects of how she wasn’t doing it out of spite. She’s misunderstood. She doesn't know she’s offending Wanda.”

In one scene, Peggy, Maddie and Cecile refuse to let Wanda join their morning four-square game. When the ball bounces out of the square, Wanda runs to give it back to them. They stare at her before continuing the game. Once the school bell rings and the other children run inside, Wanda runs and touches the line, pretending she’s part of the game.

Maddie and Wanda exchange a series of looks throughout the show that make the audience believe that she’s about to speak up, before she ends up scurrying inside behind her friends.

“That’s what’s great about it. We all see something that’s wrong or that’s an injustice and we don’t speak up. We wish we would have spoken up because it may have helped things,” said director Nancy Eddy. “She never speaks up because of her fear and she can’t go back.”

Peggy realizes that Wanda has been wearing the same blue dress every day to school and creates a new game for the schoolyard kids to play. She asks Wanda if she has any other dresses, to which Wanda replies that she has 100 dresses all lined up in her closet. This triggers a new game for Peggy, who clearly doesn’t believe the lie. She corners her every morning and demands she tell her about a new dress every morning.

The class soon hosts a drawing competition where the girls draw dresses of their own design. When the winner is revealed, 100 dresses fly up onto the screen and reveal that the stunning drawings are Wanda’s. However, she cannot receive her award because she moved away to get away from her bullying.

This creates vivid images in Maddie’s head, which is depicted on the video screen, of how she could have saved Wanda. The scenes flash from saving Wanda from a siberian tiger, a sinking ship and from a forest. Wanda, in one scene, runs across the screen laughing, driving Maddie crazy because she couldn’t catch her to apologize.

This is the first time a video projection has been used during a show. Six imagination scenes were depicted on the screen, adding a more modern effect to the show. The screen projection art is designed by guest artist Genesis Garza.

“I thought it was interesting and showed a different perspective on things,” said Kingsford freshman Eli Martonen. “It was a show that made you think about how other people feel.”

The play continues throughout the weekend.

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