Directed by Sarah Wilson ’20 and Sophia Menconi ’20, Denison’s production of The Wolves premiered in November 2019. Wilson and Menconi are the first students given the role of director for a play at Denison.
The play was a 2017 Pulitzer Prize Finalist, and it follows nine high school girls on an indoor soccer team. Their relationships are tested by their dual roles as teammates and competitors. And of course, this is high school, with all its attendant drama.
The Wolves shows the interplay of relationships and how as members of the same team they develop strong bonds collaboration. And how their competitive spirit affects those bonds as they look for soccer scholarships and awards.
Real life eerily echoed the play as the actors developed their own bonds during rehearsals — including hours spent with soccer coaches and staff learning how to handle and pass the ball. This was a first for some of the students.
A Denisonian article quotes actor Kathryn Hubbard ‘23, a psychology and educational studies double major, “it took a while to get used to doing lines while we stretch and change at the same time…. we had to change the way we approached rehearsal and made it almost like choreography for dance.”
“It felt like a family, and it was really empowering to be a part of an all women cast. I think we all feel like we are doing something important because this show talks about so many important issues from the eyes of the teenage girls.”
