Join us for a performance of The Wolves on November 14 through 16 at 8:00 pm, 17 at 2:00pm, and 19 through 21 at 8:00 pm, at Hylbert Family Studio Theatre in Michael D. Eisner Center for the Performing Arts
“The Wolves” written by Sarah DeLappe follows nine high school girls over the course of a winter of Saturdays as they warm up for their indoor soccer championship season. A 2017 Pulitizer Finalist and the winner of the first Relentless Award, “The Wolves” highlights the complexity, strength, and fierceness of teenage girls as they navigate playing as a team and as competitors to catch the attention of college recruiters. DeLappe nails the rhythms of teenage girl conversation as they talk about their hungover coach, political correctness, social media, abortion, and making a difference in the world. “The Wolves” is presented by special arrangement with SAMUEL FRENCH, INC, and this production contains strong adult language and themes.
Sarah Wilson ’20 and Sophia Menconi ’20 share their insights on directing “The Wolves”:
How has your directing process been going?
Sarah: I think it’s going pretty well! Sophia and I have directed together before, and I really enjoy directing with her. It’s exciting to actually have the cast in the room after so many months of pre-production and I love the collaboration!
Sophia: The process so far has been going really well! Sarah and I work well together, and we have been having so much fun exploring all that this play has to offer. The play itself is incredibly rich and full of life and dimension, and it has been wonderful to be able to work with Sarah to tease all of that out!
What are the things that excite you?
Sarah: I am excited by getting to work on such a great show with a really amazing production team and cast, because it is much more extensive than any production I’ve co-directed before. There’s a bit of a learning curve, but there is a lot of really wonderful collaboration that goes into a main stage production, between not only the directors and the cast, but also with designers and production team members. That has been the most exciting part for me!
Sophia: I am extremely excited by the idea of presenting the fierceness and strengthen of teenage girls on stage without a punchline or condescension. As someone who played soccer for more than a decade while growing up, it has been great getting to reconnect and engage with that part of myself within the theatre. I also think we have put together an incredible strong cast, and working with them has been so incredibly wonderful, they really bring each character to life in unique and exciting ways.
How does it feel to be in the directing position compared to being an actor in a show?
Sarah: It’s really interesting to direct after having acted for so long. They actually go very well together: directing has made me a better actor in terms of collaborator and details. I have a better sense of how to work in a rehearsal room because I’ve been on the other side of it. In terms of directing, I think being an actor has helped me give more specific feedback. I have a sense of what kinds of notes, direction, and rehearsal structures are useful to me as an actor, and now I can apply them as director. It’s nice to be able to be in charge of creating the experience of the show, rather than working within someone else’s vision.
Sophia: I am going to answer this question a little bit differently, as I am not and have never really been an actor. My interest in theatre was always in the technical and the behind-the-scenes, so I approach directing from a background in stage management. I find a lot of the work I did as a stage manager has prepared me really well for work as a director, and I feel really prepared for a lot of the interpersonal, personality managing based work that goes into directing through that stage management preparation. And it feels great to finally not be the person taking the largest amount of notes at rehearsals!
