Hundred Dresses previewRaleigh Little Theatre Preview Dramatization of Eleanor Estes' book "The Hundred Dresses" Raleigh Little Theatre will present a youth-theater production of The Hundred Dresses, Mary Hall Surface's dramatization of a 1944 children's book by Eleanor Estes (1906-88), on March 12-14, 18-21, and 26-28 in its Gaddy-Goodwin Teaching Theatre. RLT youth theater and education director Linda O'Day Young will direct this 2008 show, which was commissioned by the Seattle Children's Theatre. According to Plays for Young Audiences: "Sometimes saying nothing is as bad as saying something mean. That's what Maddie Reeves [played for Raleigh Little Theatre by Hannah Hoskins] discovers in the play The Hundred Dresses, adapted from the 1944 book that has a Newbery Honor and a Caldecott Medal. Set in the 1930s, the story begins when the Petronskis, a poor Polish immigrant family, move to town. When Wanda Petronski [Maddy Kunkel] tells Maddie's rich best friend Peggy [Ellie Dusek] that she has a hundred dresses, Peggy laughs in disbelief, pointing out that Wanda wears the same dress to school everyday. Why would you do that if you had a hundred dresses? From that point on, Peggy relentlessly teases Wanda about her dresses. While Maddie doesn't tease Wanda, she does nothing to stop it for fear of being teased herself. After the Petronskis suddenly move from town the children discover that Wanda made one hundred exquisite drawings of all types of dresses she'd imagined. The beauty of her work earns the awe and respect of her classmates, though Wanda will never know it because she moved away. Maddie begins to understand that it is more important to speak out and stand up for people, even if it is not the popular thing to do." The Raleigh Little Theatre cast for The Hundred Dresses also includes: Henry Hopson as Willie Bounce, Lauren T. Simmons as Cecile Allen, Ben Mygatt as Jack Beggles, Kirsten Ehlert as Miss Mason, Michael McGee as Mr. Petronski, RLT associate education director Kathleen Rudolph as Shelly Reeves, Cameron Newton as Jacob Petronski, and Jerry Zieman as Mr. Svenson. The School Children/Deck Crew include Cameron Newton as Jacob, Charlotte Hopson as Abigail, Spencer Kodadek as Mike, Alec M. Kunkel as Freddie, Jessica McGee as Lilly, and Langdon Ogburn as Wally. In addition to director Linda O'Day Young, the show's creative team includes technical director Jerry Zervas, costume designer Jenny Butler, and stage manager Paul Slovensky. In reviewing previous productions of The Hundred Dresses, TEEN TX of Seattle, WA wrote, "Everyone has been in Maddie's situation. Everyone has faced peer pressure. These characters tell us that we, like them, can make the right choice next time." THE SEATTLE TIMES added, "What sets the play ... apart is its quiet, unexaggerated depiction of xenophobia, and how poverty comes in different sizes and shades." SECOND OPINION: March 11th Raleigh, NC NEWS & OBSERVER preview by Leah Friedman: http://www.newsobserver.com/2010/03/11/380815/play-offers-lesson-about-bullying.html. Raleigh Little Theatre presents The Hundred Dresses at 7:30 p.m. March 12, 1 and 5 p.m. March 13, 1 p.m. March 14, 10 a.m. March 18, 7:30 p.m. March 19, 1 and 5 p.m. March 20, 1 and 5 p.m. March 21, 10 a.m. March 25, 7:30 p.m. March 26, 1 and 5 p.m. March 27, and 1 p.m. March 28 in RLT's Gaddy-Goodwin Teaching Theatre, 301 Pogue St., Raleigh, North Carolina 27607. TICKETS: $12 ($8 children 12 and under). BOX OFFICE: 919/821-3111 or http://www.etix.com/. SHOW: http://raleighlittletheatre.org/performances/09-10/dresses.html. PRESENTER: http://www.raleighlittletheatre.org/. PARKING/DIRECTIONS: http://raleighlittletheatre.org/about/map-directions.html. NOTE: All shows are wheelchair accessible. OTHER LINKS: The Play: http://www.playsforyoungaudiences.org/scripts/hundred_dresses.html (Plays for Young Audiences). The Playwright: http://www.playsforyoungaudiences.org/playwrights/surface_mary_hall.html (Plays for Young Audiences). WHAT: The TRIANGLE THEATER REVIEW is a FREE weekly e-mail theatrical newsletter, featuring previews and reviews by Robert W. McDowell and reviews by Alan R. Hall and others. (For brief bios of our critics, see the CVNC biographies page.) Classical Voice of North Carolina, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and this state's leading performing-arts platform, not only pays our reviewers but also makes continued publication of TTR possible. The online versions of our critics' theater reviews are now listed on the CVNC Reviews page. CVNC also publishes a comprehensive list of Triangle Theatre Openings and an extensive list of Theater and Film Links. 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