Wanda Petronski is the new girl in school. She talks with a funny accent and wears the same faded blue dress to school every day. Yet she swears her closet back home is lined with 100 beautiful silk dresses.

Still, the "mean girls" at Franklin Elementary School pick on Wanda relentlessly. And those who stand by and do nothing soon learn that doing nothing can be the worst form of bullying of all.

Chicago Children's Theatre's smash hit musical The Hundred Dresses, based on Eleanor Estes' timeless children's novel about a Polish girl who struggles to fit in with her new American classmates, tackles the subject of bullying head on, while taking audiences of all ages on a fun, funny, heartwarming journey that explores the bonds of friendship, the willingness to be yourself, and the courage it takes to stand up to others ? even when you're standing alone.

A smash hit in its world premiere last season, Chicago Children's Theatre is thrilled to kick off its 2010-2011 season with a major remount of The Hundred Dresses, co-written for the stage by musician Ralph Covert (Ralph's World, The Bad Examples) and his longtime playwright partner G. Riley Mills, and directed by CCT Artistic Associate Sean Graney. Performances of this "must-see" musical for children, families, school, scouting and youth groups are November 3 through December 2, 2010 at the Centre East Theatre in the North Shore Centre for the Performing Arts, 9501 Skokie Blvd., Skokie, Illinois. Press opening is Sunday, November 7, at 1 p.m. Tickets are $26 for children (17 and under) and $36 for adults. Call the North Shore Center box office, (847) 673-6300 or visit northshorecenter.org for tickets and show times.

Note: The North Shore Center boasts free, plentiful on-site parking. Additionally, groups of 10 and more can receive discounted group rates, including deep discounts for school groups and scouting organizations, by calling GroupTix at (877) 447-7849 or visiting GroupTix.net.

More about The Hundred Dresses, including some "firsts" for Chicago Children's Theatre

Chicago Children's Theatre's much-anticipated remount of The Hundred Dresses in Skokie marks the company's first production in a suburban Chicago venue, with a retooled set design specifically geared to take the show on a national tour in 2012, another first for the company.

"From a pure entertainment perspective, The Hundred Dresses delivers on all counts – a beloved children's story told in a whole new way by an amazing cast, a funky rock 'n roll score, fantastic choreography, eye candy costumes, and top-notch production value all around," said Jacqueline Russell, artistic director, Chicago Children's Theatre. "At the same time, the play's core anti-bullying message strikes an undeniable chord with children, parents and educators. As a theater devoted to tackling important social issues impacting youth today, we think The Hundred Dresses is the ideal production to introduce our work to audiences outside of Chicago."

"From a research perspective, The Hundred Dresses clearly demonstrates the detrimental effects of being a target of bullying. It also supports what we know about why bullying has not gone away in our schools," said bullying prevention expert Dorothy Espelage, Professor of Educational Psychology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "That is, bystanders play an active role in allowing the bullying to continue. As depicted in the play, many bystanders do have empathy for the victim, but have difficulty in intervening and helping the victims."

Espelage is a frequent guest on shows including The Today Show, CNN, CBS Evening News and The Oprah Winfrey Show, and has been quoted in Time Magazine, USA Today and People. On Sunday, November 21, Espelage will headline a free post-show discussion about bullying prevention after the 1 p.m. performance of The Hundred Dresses

To enhance the experience of seeing The Hundred Dresses, Chicago Children's Theatre will post a companion study guide for use in the classroom or even at home with games, activities and exercises designed to help spark frank discussion on the subject of bullying. Click chicagochildrenstheatre.org to download these free supplemental educational activities.

Additionally, through a generous grant from the Target Corporation, Chicago Children's Theatre is implementing a new field trip program during specific performances that will include not only complimentary admission and study materials but also transportation. This program will accommodate approximately 6,000 students during the 2010-2011 season.

Most of last season's original cast members are returning for this fall's remount, including Leslie Ann Sheppard in the pivotal role of Maddie Martin, Wanda's would-be friend and the moral compass of the play. Just last month, the Chicago Tribune named Sheppard one of the top young actors to watch on Chicago's stages, thanks to her breakout performance last season in The Hundred Dresses.

Also returning to the cast are Natalie Berg as alpha mean girl Peggy, Nadirah Bost as Miss Mason, Kurt Ehrmann as Old Man Svenson/Jan Petronski, Elana Ernst as Cecilie, and Geoff Rice as Jack. New to the cast are Briana DeGuilio as Wanda Petronski and Andrew Keltz as Willie.

Ralph Covert (playwright, composer, lyricist) is known best to most parents and children as the creator of Ralph's World, the family rock phenomenon heard and seen via nationwide tours, more than a dozen music videos, and eight albums on Disney Sound and the newest release on Bar/None Records, All Around Ralph's World. Ralph's World has been praised by NPR's All Things Considered, ABC World News Tonight, The CBS Morning Show, Sirius/XM Kids Radio, The New York Times, Newsweek, The Christian Science Monitor, Time, People and Parade, and his concerts are often sold out coast-to-coast. Meanwhile, for over a decade, he and Chicago playwright G. Riley Mills have written Jeff-lauded dramas (Sawdust and Spangles and Streeterville) and several popular children's musicals, including A Very Nutty Nutcracker, which was also published as an illustrated book last Christmas. Earlier this year, Covert appeared in a ubiquitous children's product commercial where he performed in both the English and Spanish-language versions. Covert first came to fame in Chicago and in Europe near the start of the previous decade leading indie rock band The Bad Examples, who have a new studio album, Smash Record, set for release at the start of next year. He has four published books as a children's author, and also serves with several national educational initiatives. His family now includes three daughters and a son, ranging from age one to fifteen.

G. Riley Mills (playwright and lyricist) has written for the professional theater since 1987. He and Ralph Covert have been awarded the Joseph Jefferson Citation for Best New Work (1998 and 2001). Together they have two published books: Sawdust and Spangles (2007 NAPPA Honor Award winner) and A Nutty Nutcracker Christmas, recently released from Chronicle Books. Other recent productions include Raising Blue (Prop Thtr) and The Great Egress (Mary-Arrchie). His newest play is Death and Devils.

Sean Graney (Director) is an Artistic Associate with CCT, where his previous directing credits include Honus and Me, Hana's Suitcase and The Hundred Dresses. He is the Artistic Director and Founder of The Hypocrites. Graney has directed over 30 productions since 1997. He was a participant in the NEA/TCG Career Development Program for Directors from 2004-2006. He has won two Jeff Citations for Outstanding Direction for Equus and Machinal. In 2004, Chicago Magazine identified him as Chicago's Best Avant-garde Director. He also directed Edward II (Chicago Shakespeare Theatre), The Elephant Man (Steppenwolf Young Audiences), The Comedy of Errors, What the Butler Saw and Mystery of Irma Vep (Court Theater).

The design team includes Kevin Depinet (set), Jacqueline Firkins (costumes), Heather Gilbert (lights), Michael Griggs (sound), Kimberly Morris (props), Tommy Rapley (choreography), and Andra Velis Simon (music director). Mackenzie Brown is stage manager. Matt Packer is production stage manager.