Brigham Young University’s Department of Theatre and Media Arts will present “The Hundred Dresses” Wednesday thru Friday, Oct. 12-15 and 19-21, at 7 p.m. and Saturdays, Oct. 15 and 22, at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. in the Pardoe Theatre.
Tickets are available at $6 for adults, $4 for children. For tickets, visit the Fine Arts Ticket Office, (801) 422-4322 or byuarts.com/tickets.
Based on the 1944 Newbery Award-winning children’s book by Eleanor Estes, this new 50-minute adaptation is a story for children promoting tolerance and acceptance of all.
The story is told of a young student named Wanda Petronski, who, with a funny last name and only one faded school dress, becomes an easy target for teasing when she claims to have 100 dresses at home. But when the school drawing contest arrives, her classmates, including Maddie Mason, begin to see the consequences of their choices and the worth of an individual.
Director Julia Ashworth speaks highly of the main character, Maddie, Wanda’s nemesis.
“In ‘The Hundred Dresses,’the central character Maddie makes a mistake. She does something wrong, something she deeply regrets. Undoubtedly each of us has experienced similar regrets. But something that makes Maddie stand out is that, when give the opportunity to redeem herself, she fully embraces it. This story is a story about the choices we make as we interact with those different than ourselves,” said Ashworth.
The show challenges audience members to seek redemption where they have made mistakes in their own lives.
“Where, like Maddie, have we made mistakes, done something wrong, something we deeply regret? Not only must we find and embrace opportunities for redemption around us, but take the lead as we set examples for others around us, especially young children like those in ‘The Hundred Dresses,’” said Ashworth.
The cast includes Sarah Kron as Wanda and Leah Hodson as Maddie, with Hailey Isaacson Buehler as Cecile, Beau Brewster as Jack, Hayley Hucks as Peggy, Alex King as Mr. Petronski/Mr. Svenson, Brett Ronhaar as Willie and Jake and Calista Wilkes as Maddie’s Mom/Miss Mason.
To accompany the production, Ashworth and her cast and crew collected more than 100 dresses to donate to local charities. Many of the dresses now hang in the B. F. Larsen Gallery adjacent to the Pardoe Theatre in the Harris Fine Arts Center, and they will remain there during the production run.
For more information contact Julia Ashworth at (801) 422-4539 or julia_ashworth@byu.edu.
Writer: Charles Krebs
