‘What if Wilhelmina’ engages audiences of all ages

A lively and engaging theater experience awaits kids, adults and everyone in between this weekend at Michigan State University’s Arena Theatre. While “What if Wilhelmina” is billed as a sensory-friendly, interactive musical for neurodiverse audiences, I would contend that this inclusive, immersive experience is a delight for audiences of all ages and abilities.

When my companion and I descended the stairs of the Auditorium Building into the Arena Theatre’s waiting room space, we were met by friendly and welcoming students who shepherd us into a classroom filled with coloring tables and a face painting station. We were encouraged to color our own name tags. We spotted a table loaded with noise-blocking headphones and handheld fidget toys that audience members could take into the theater with them. Activity books and crayons were in abundant supply.

We took our seats and were immediately immersed in storybook author Joseph Belisle’s boldly illustrated world. Familiar songs from classic children’s movies such as “Zuckerman’s Famous Pig” and “Rainbow Connection” drew us into a comfortable, exploratory play space where rainbow décor conveyed the message that “everyone is welcome,” as well as the primary colors in an artist’s palette. We were introduced to “the world’s most beloved pet cat,” Wilhelmina, who escapes out the window and into a larger-than-life world of hijinx and “catscapades,” and to her human companion, Faith, a 7-year-old girl who is prone to a bit of outsized worry.

Adapted for the stage by MSU Department of Theatre faculty member Dionne O’Dell and performed by her Sense-Ability Ensemble, this heartwarming production teaches that we can overcome our worries by engaging in coping strategies through music, dance and some controlled screaming, brought to us by the Screamer character from Edvard Munch’s iconic painting. The original song lyrics, also by O’Dell in collaboration with composer Chelle Peterson, magically convey the frustrations and dilemmas of childhood through repeating lines such as “have faith,” “I’m not going to take my nap” and “it’s not my fault.”

While the hilariously imaginative puppets, insightful lyrics and well-choreographed dancing all contribute to a joyful theater experience, one cannot forget that O’Dell and her team are doing important work. This production was created “from the ground up for audiences that are neurodiverse,” O’Dell said. She and her Sense-Ability Ensemble consulted with special education and physical therapy experts to explore how sensory elements such as giving the audience the opportunity to smell a stage element (a flower) or recreating the sounds of a thunderstorm can amplify the theater experience for audiences of diverse abilities. Members of the Sense-Ability Ensemble receive special training to sensitively respond to the needs of individual audience members should someone experience sensory overload, for example.

Neurodiversity aside, when my companion and I eagerly reached out our age-worn hands so we could feel Wilhelmina’s whiskers or experience her scratchy sandpaper kisses, we remembered a time of being enthusiastically transported into a story, immersed by the sights and sounds of the narrative. MSU’s “What if Wilhelmina” invites audiences of all ages to play, explore and imagine.