Originally published in The Greyhound, Loyola University Maryland’s online news source.
This past weekend, from Oct. 25-Oct. 28, the Evergreen Players held their first production of the school year with “The Wolves” by Sarah DeLappe over the course of a four-day, five-show run in McManus Theater. Directed by theater professor and 2019 Class Dean Dr. Natka Bianchini, the Players’ rendition of the show presented a raw, powerful, and heart-wrenching meditation on adolescent camaraderie and growth that gave the audience a new appreciation for female friendship and teamwork.
“The Wolves” follows a team of high school soccer players as they move through their season and deal with life’s challenges. The nine-person team shows a vast intersection of identities and backgrounds, varying in family dynamics, passions, personal traumas, and interests.
Despite their differences, what lies at the heart of this motley crew is their love for soccer. The play takes place exclusively on an indoor field, but the audience never actually sees the girls play a game: instead, they are invited into the more intimate space of soccer practice, where the girls discuss everything from tampons to parent troubles, and sometimes even each other.
Both in real life and in the world of theatre, high school aged girls are consistently written off as immature and unsubstantial, but “The Wolves” works to challenge this notion.
“Teenage girls are rarely heralded as protagonists and one of the things I love about this play is that DeLappe creates nine interesting, complex, passionate, talented young female characters and puts them front and center in this story,” Bianchini said.
In this midst of the seemingly mindless babble that fills the soccer field during stretches and drills, the audience witnesses bursts of passion from the characters that tip them to the girls’ meaningful interiors.
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Feature Image Courtesy of Borden Media
For the full story, visit The Greyhound.
RODLYN-MAE BANTING 
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