Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress follows the story of a first grade boy, Morris, who sees the world as his own “space-jungle safari mega adventure” and how he explores his identity through play. But when Morris tries on his beloved tangerine dress, he faces backlash from his classmates and his teacher, who despite her best efforts, can’t seem to de-escalate the situation.

Freshman Evelyn Murray, who plays Becky, one of Morris’s classroom bullies, remarks that her character is one of the pillars that represents the most feminine end of the spectrum. While Becky is comfortable with herself, she can’t quite grasp why Morris would be in something that “boys can’t wear.”

“[Becky is the] part of the play that can show that society has norms for each gender,” Murray said. “Girls are the ones who wear dresses. Boys are the ones who can be astronauts or go on adventures and girls are the ones who paint their nails, those sorts of things. She’s one of the people who strongly believes that those norms should be enforced. And she has no problem bringing that out when she talks to Morris.”

Murray, however, has a bit of a different opinion than that of her character. Believing that no matter how you identify, you should be able to express yourself in whatever way you see fit. 

“Our parents are the ones enforcing [these roles] on us in most situations,” Murray said.  “It’s being  passed down from generation to generation, we need to show people that being a little different isn’t a bad thing. Sometimes it’s necessary to break the mold a little bit to find who you really are.”

Junior Parker Tessier plays Eli, a boy who follows the lead of one of Morris’ biggest tormentors. But, he  is eventually able to stand up for himself and the protagonist, while finding himself in the process. 

“Eli fits into the story as your average boy classmate but he’s a little more empathetic than the other boys,” Tessier said. “[He’s] a little more reluctant to their bullying and at first he’s a friend to Henry, but I think throughout the story, he becomes more important as a friend to everyone. His arc is a sort of self discovery but put in a very different way than Morris. It’s a sort of discovery that shows if you are truly yourself then people are gonna love that and love you and will just come towards you.”

Tessier remarks a bit on the overall message of the play, and how it doesn’t just teach us to be ourselves unconditionally. But how it also reminds us that we are not just ourselves in the present, but also the past, and how your inner child is vital to finding your spark.

“Morris welcomes us into a world of childlike imagination, and how imagination can come to life and create beautiful things,” Tessier said.  “It can take us on ‘big-time mega space adventures’ that we often forget as we get older. [During this show], you enter a dream world where you can be wherever and whoever you want to be.”

Pinkerton Academy sophomore Eret Minsaas plays the titular character, Morris Micklewhite, who learns to become more comfortable in his own skin. But throughout his time as Morris, Minsaas found himself learning a very similar lesson. 

“This show is very important to me because when I was growing up, I hated everything about being feminine,” Minsaas said. “ I hated wearing dresses. I hated nail polish. But, the show allowed me to redefine how I see those things and how I look at those things and now every time I’m in the tangerine dress I feel [great] about myself and it’s amazing.”

Minsaas talks about how this show conveys an important message to people of all ages and how no matter who you are, you can learn to accept yourself and others. This work encourages us to not only view the world around us differently, but also ourselves and the people we could be. 

“It’s very important to come and see the show because whether you are someone who agrees with this or not,” Minsaas said. “ It’s good to see different perspectives and how someone’s whole life can be changed by an article of clothing. And not many people [would] think about that. If you come to the show and you feel uncomfortable, you should question why. You should leave the show with questions to ask yourself and you should know the answers.”