This past weekend, tufted titmice, Maroon Five’s “Animals” and tear-stained orange slices graced the makeshift stage for a production of “The Wolves”—a Pulitzer Prize-nominated play written by Sarah DeLappe—in the multi-purpose room of the Athletic Fitness Center (AFC). The work came back to campus after being originally presented at the Powerhouse Theater nearly a decade ago.
The play itself focuses on the events and relationships developing over the course of a girl’s soccer team’s indoor season. No topic of discussion was off the table for the 16- and 17-year-olds, and all the conversations, whether seriously political or seriously soccer-related, were mixed together. The resulting symphony is one to remember. In fact, this musical metaphor came up in a conversation with one of the play’s actors: “It has such a musical rhythm,” stated Miranda Henry ’27, who portrayed the player with the jersey #7.
All of the conversations happening at once made the play a difficult task for the cast. At times, the script features three columns of dialogue occurring simultaneously. “When we first learned our lines, we were all learning the single conversation we were in, and then we kind of quickly realized we had to learn everyone’s conversation,” shared Noe Perry-Greene ’26. Laura Weiss ’26 put it this way: “It was a beast to memorize.” However, the pace of the show is part of its appeal. Weiss continued, “It was really important because the flow of it is kind of what makes it good.”
Us viewers were seated on rows of mats and chairs on either side of the multi-purpose room. The unconventional setup transformed the space; I hardly recognized where I had long ago sweated through a morning Pilates class, and good riddance! The windows were covered by red mats, and the net of a makeshift goal was made up of string lights. When it lit up, you better believe I was giddy.
Throughout the runtime, the cast performed stretches, ran drills and huddled up right next to the audience. The constant movement made the production even harder for the actors. Nora Guzikowski ’27, who directed alongside Maria Shansonga ’27, said, “This was an exercise in fitness and conditioning.” The play’s climax is also an emotional rollercoaster, adding another layer of difficulty.
As far as Guzikowski knows, no other play in recent memory has used the AFC as a performance space. The novelty made the production exciting. “How the heck is this going to work?” I thought to myself as I walked inside the building.
When cast members ran through a door on the opposite side of the room, I had no genuine clue what the backstage looked like. Avery Epstein ’28, who played the goalkeeper, swooped in to answer my question: “We’re just on a landing at the top of a staircase.” The magic of theater, dare I say.
With a total budget of $75 to put on the show, it was impressive what the crew was able to put together in terms of costumes and set design. The squad was decked out in jerseys, and there was even some flashy protective soccer headgear.
Being able to see the audience lined up across from me was another highlight. Harriet Simons ’27 remarked, “I felt very part of the team.” There was never a dull moment for me. I spent half of the 90 minutes either giggling at a quip from the stage or laughing at the reactions of the viewers across from me.
For Shansonga, this proximity makes for rewarding shows: “Having fun with [the audience] and playing off them, those shows to me are the most fulfilling.” Ina Zaslavsky ’27 got wrapped up in some of the dialogue: “They have a line, ‘You witch,’ and I was pointed at in the audience.” She added, “But all in all, it was great to see my friends in their element and I thought the play was really impactful.”
I agreed with Zaslavsky about the production’s impact. It was able to deftly capture the essence of teen girl conversation and team dynamics. The dialogue was wide-ranging, fast-paced and authentically funny—a hard thing to pull off. Bitter rivalries simmered and friendships were tested.
The cast pursued each character’s personality ambitiously; everyone was committed. Perry-Greene debuted a shaved head for the show. The payoffs of this were particularly strong; I felt invested and in it. Every conversation felt close.
But I also left with questions about the script’s choices: Was it necessary to have such a grief-filled turn in the play’s final moments? The ending gives us a powerful monologue from a soccer mom, played by Harper Navin ’26, but the twist felt unnecessary when I was already invested in the plotlines developing. It felt a bit too out of left field to develop the teammates’ relationships in a way that felt true to life. And “The Wolves” at its best was strikingly faithful to reality.
Reflecting on the final product, Guzikowski recalled what it felt like to have it come together in the final week of rehearsals. After taking notes on a laptop during those rehearsals, she emphasized, “The opening night was magical because I got to shut my laptop and just watch and take in all of the hard work that everyone had done.” Before bestowing thanks on a talented production team, Guzikowski added, “I feel like there’s never gonna be another time where if I want to, I can just put up a play.” And I am so glad this one happened while I was a student here.