Written by Sarah DeLappe, THE WOLVES premiered in 2016 off-Broadway in 2016, where it was awarded the Obie for ensemble work, as well as becoming a New York Times critics pick. The coming of age play was also a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. In 2025, the Morgan-Wixson Theatre proudly present THE WOLVES.
Members of THE WOLVES soccer team – Photo courtesy of the Morgan-Wixson Theatre
The time is now, and the place is an indoor soccer facility where nine high school teenage girls do pre-game exercises every Saturday morning in winter. Gossip abounds as the athletic youngsters chat and giggle among themselves with enthusiastic cacophony – but always with an ear to listening in on the conversations going on around them. After all, you wouldn’t want to miss a juicy piece of gossip. Topics tap into the concerns of teenagers everywhere: love, loss, identity, sex, future plans, friendship, social angst, family dynamics, and others too numerous to list. Intertwined among these issues are concerns about competition, being accepted, envy, and fear that they might not match up. One soccer player suffers from anxiety so extreme that she vomits before each game, while another player basks in her athletic talent – until she has a career-ending injury. Each player has a story which comes out explosively through the youngsters’ unrestrained chatter.
Cast of THE WOLVES – Photo courtesy of the Morgan-Wixson Theatre
Grace Wilkerson helms the production, starring ensemble soccer players Bianca Akbiyik, Michelle Barber, Larissa Dowling, Maia Goldberg, Isabella Griggs, Lisette Miranda, Joelle Tourneur, Amelia Vargas, Jada Jo Warner, and Jill Young – and Lisette Miranda is a soccer mom. Kate Schaaf’s scenic design is simple – walls and balls. Sun Jin’s costumes are also simple – team clothing with stenciled players’ numbers.
Cast of THE WOLVES – Photo courtesy of the Morgan-Wixson Theatre
One of the first things audiences will probably notice is the girls’ rapid speech as they struggle to shout over the other eight soccer team members. Apparently, this was how DeLappe conceived of the conversations among the athletes, all teenagers with short attention spans and multiple random thoughts colliding against each other non-stop. Topics shift and switch quickly as the girls say what they are thinking with little concern for subtlety or diplomacy. After all, these are kids on the cusp of life who are trying to work everything out in a world they only partially understand.
Cast Member of THE WOLVES – Photo courtesy of the Morgan-Wixson Theatre
THE WOLVES should appeal to parents – especially those with teenagers – and even to those older teenagers who are trying to make sense out of a world they didn’t create but must navigate. At times, the play may become noisy and confusing – but DeLappe has done a good job of laying out the confusion and frustration of today’s teens. THE WOLVES runs through February 9, 2025, with performances at 8 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and at 2 p.m. on Sundays. The Morgan-Wixson Theatre is located at 2627 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica, CA. Tickets are $28 (seniors and students $23). For information and reservations, call 310-838-7519 or go online.
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