Juniors and seniors at Blue Hills Regional Technical School See "The Yellow Dress," a One-Woman Production About Dating Violence

By Judy Bass

Prom season is usually a time of great excitement when students enjoy one of the most anticipated and memorable social occasions of their entire high school career.  But it can also be a time of escalating stress and challenges, including dating violence.

To educate and inform students about abusive relationships and how to avoid their sometimes terrible consequences, juniors and seniors at Blue Hills Regional Technical School in Canton recently watched a performance of “The Yellow Dress,” a one-woman play about “Anna,” a fictional young woman whose romantic relationship with “Rick” begins auspiciously but ends in tragedy.

The play was staged by Deana’s Educational Theater of Wakefield, Mass., a non-profit organization which develops and produces theater programs on relationship violence for grades K – 12, colleges, the military, and audiences throughout the United States and abroad.

The production was made possible by a generous grant from Honey Dew Donuts.

The 30-minute show depicted “Anna” talking alone on stage about “Rick,” who initially seemed so sweet and attentive, and was liked by her parents as well.  However, this idyllic period ended gradually, as their relationship became marred by abuse by him towards her, such as excessive jealousy, name calling, insults, and checking on her incessantly.  All those behaviors, as “Anna” points out to the audience, are classic signs of abuse that should be heeded.

Then, as “Anna” describes it, “Rick” would deceptively revert to being docile again.  “I wanted to be with him more than anything in the world,” she said.  “It felt good to belong somewhere.”

During the course of the show, “Anna” changes into the emblematic attire of the play’s title – a bloodstained yellow gown.   Continuing her monologue, she tells of how any little trivial thing would set “Rick” off into alarming rages and physical abuse of her.  “It didn’t feel like love anymore,” she laments.

Finally, as “Anna” tells it, “Rick” makes a desperate final try to win her over again.  They meet, and while they sit in his car, he erupts in a violent outburst, banging her head against the dashboard until she is silent at last.

Adding to the dramatic conclusion of the play is the haunting realization that “Anna” has actually been telling her story from the grave.

At the conclusion of “The Yellow Dress,” the actress portraying “Anna” takes questions and gives statistics, such as the fact that one in five women go through dating violence by the time they leave high school.  She also mentioned the hallmarks of a potentially dangerous relationship – stalking, demeaning put-downs, isolating someone from friends and family, pressuring someone to have sex, and controlling behavior.

Thanks for their valuable assistance in bringing “The Yellow Dress” to Blue Hills go to Assistant Superintendent/Principal Michael Barrett, Dean of Students Thomas Cavanaugh, School Psychologist Christine Loud, School Psychologist Beth Roland and the Peer Leadership group, and Lead Electronics Teacher Manuel Cerqueira and his students Patrick Despage, Matthew Sullivan, Andrew Sullivan and Adam Cytrynowski for setting up the sound system.

In addition, members of the Blue Hills chapter of SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions) prepared information about dating relationships for students.  Two days prior to the performance, said their advisor, Guidance Counselor Sarah England, SADD members hosted the Road to Romance Relationship Raffle during all regularly scheduled student lunches.  The grand prize was a Showcase Cinemas Movie Gift Pack (two admission tickets, two large soft drinks, and a large popcorn).  In order to enter this raffle, each student must select one Relationship Quiz ticket, and decide whether the statement printed on it is true or false.

The purpose of the activity, England said, was to help teens identify behaviors which could signal harmful relationships and to hopefully avoid putting themselves in dangerous or life-threatening situations.