Ad Astra have kicked off 2024 with Sarah DeLappe’s drama The Wolves, transforming their black box theatre into an indoor soccer pitch where all the guts and glory of female adolescence plays out on the artificial turf.
DeLappe’s play premiered Off-Broadway in 2016 and was a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, among other accolades. The Wolves follows an indoor soccer team of that name, a group of American high school girls who are staying in form during the off-season with dreams of playing professionally.
The play covers a full season, as The Wolves face off against other teams in all conditions, but focuses primarily on the interpersonal connections and communication on the practice pitch and the sidelines before and after games.
While they stretch and do drills, the players of The Wolves also learn about each other, test boundaries, tease, argue, and antagonise. They worry about the state of the world, pimples and periods, getting scouted for a college team, and what the future holds. Competing conversations through overlapping dialogue established dynamics within the team early on, and often expanded into a broader conversation as the players progressed through warm-ups. The differing accents used across the cast remained consistent, with voice coaching by Rosalind Williams.
Directed by Caitlin Hill, with assistant direction by Samar Louise, The Wolves made full use of the space in Ad Astra’s black box theatre, transformed into an indoor soccer pitch with artificial turf. Constant movement maintained the play’s momentum, and a dance break added an unexpected moment of humour. Under Hill’s direction, The Wolves was a highly physical play and the cast managed the demands of soccer drills, choreographed dance, and more abstract movement with stamina and skill.
The players of The Wolves are an interesting cross-section of teenage girls, captained by #25 (Sharnee Tones), who is trying to keep the team cohesive without turning into their previous coach – her father – while their current coach slouches unseen with regular hangovers. Maddi Jane Römcke gave a strong performance as the team goalie #00, an extremely anxious overachiever, a role shared with Chelsea Doran. Aimee Duroux’s performance as #8 was also a standout for me, striking a chord between neurotic and melodramatic, good-hearted and self-obsessed, especially as she gossiped with her closest teammate, #11 (played by Madeline Armit).
Emily Marszalek was excellent as #46, a new girl from out of town who must find her own place in the pack and navigate the in-jokes and careless comments of her teammates. Doll Hunt was very moving as Soccer Mom in the final scene, a role that he shares with Stella T Page across the Ad Astra season; however, the lack of clarity surrounding his character’s role partly overshadowed the emotional resonance of his performance.
Malika Savory was likeably shy and quiet as #2, forced into headgear by her concerned mother after a series of concussions and trying to do the right thing by her fellow players. Tainika Kane-Potaka played the laid-back class clown as #13, and Shanay De Marco played queen bee #7, whose fluctuating friendship with #14 (Emma Black) provided much of the play’s drama.
Cale Dennis’ lighting design was memorable, creating the impression of stadium lighting and also used to cut scenes and reveal character in a striking and impactful way. Composition and sound design by Justin Harrison also added to the atmosphere and emotion of the play.
The Wolves sharply captures the viciousness, vulgarity, and violence that truly accompanies teenage girlhood, and paints a picture of nine young women grappling with the largeness and unfairness of the adult world as well as the volatile day-to-day of school, friends, family, and relationships.
The Wolves is playing at Ad Astra from 15 February – 9 March 2024
For ticketing and further information, visit the Ad Astra website
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