On Stage: The Wolves

The Wolves, playing at Melbourne’s Theatre Works, offers an interesting study into how the attitudes and behaviours of teenage girls have changed over 10 years.

Judging by the conversations while some of the world issues raised are different, the thoughts and actions of 16 and 17 years may not have changed all that much!

American playwright Sarah DeLappe wrote The Wolves in 2016 and the play was a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, received the American Playwriting Foundation’s inaugural Relentless Award, and was a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize and the Yale Drama Series Prize.

The 90-minute play follows a successful nine-player high school girls’ soccer team, as they prepare each week for their Saturday game. They are identified only by their jersey numbers.

As they warm up for their matches their conversations range from Cambodian genocide to the merits of tampons over pads.

One of the team members is knitting scarves to help migrant children incarcerated at the US border.

There’s also plenty of gossiping through which we learn one of the girls recently had an abortion while another suffers from severe anxiety.  The coach (whom we never see) has a continual hangover.

Their conversations are often inappropriate and sometimes cause conflict amongst the girls.

The arrival of a new player, number 46, also shows the girls aren’t particularly welcoming towards new arrivals as they pick on her homeschooling and personal habits.

Further adding to the tension is her soccer ability – although never playing in a team before she’s a very good player and takes the position of a long-term team member.

There’s also a major falling out between a couple of team members thanks to a conflict over a boy while a serious knee injury ends the season of one of those girls.  The arrival of college soccer scouts at one of the games is also disrupting.  And then a major tragedy strikes the team.

Most conversations occur while the girls are running, stretching or kicking a soccer ball, which at times, makes it difficult to hear what they are saying especially when they are chatting amongst themselves.

At the same time the set of the play, a rectangular AstroTurf stage surrounded on two sides by audience seating, creates an authentic feel.

All nine girls who star in the production – Ellie Nunan (as player number 00), Alana Lopera (2), Bek Schilling (7), Marlena Thomson (8), Eleanor Golding (11), Kristie Kriaris-Tsotras (13) Shanu Sobti (14), Erin Perrey (25) and Desiree Katakis (46) – are given a chance to shine.

Nunan as the anxiety- gripped goalkeeper, Katakis as the newcomer, Bek Schilling as the experienced striker and Perrey as the team’s captain have some of the strongest roles.

Soccer Mum (Emily Joy) only appears once to address the girls but it’s an extremely moving scene which puts many of the previous interactions between the girls into perspective.

The Wolves is playing at Theatre Works, 14 Acland Street, St Kilda, until June 20. For further information and tickets visit the Theatre Works website.

Jenny Burns attended opening night of The Wolves a guest of the production company.

*Photo credit: SMW Image