The Jerry Herman Ring Theatre opens its spring season with the dramatic comedy, “The Wolves.” From March 1-8, audiences can witness the eye-opening conversations that a high school girls’ soccer team has during warm-ups.
Written by American playwright Sarah DeLappe, the one-act play details the conversations the teammates have about their opinions on subjects like menstrual cycles, global politics, genocide, drugs and boys.
“The Jerry Herman Ring Theatre has been turned into an indoor soccer field,” said Jordan Tisdale, a sophomore musical theatre major who will play #25, the team captain. “Since the start of this semester, the cast gets together every weekend to practice playing soccer and develop some fun skills we can use during the show.”
Christian Miller, a senior musical theatre major and a former soccer player, offered to coach the cast of nine girls. They’ve also received training from the UM girls’ soccer team.
“We do passing drills and practice tricks. Most of us have never played in our lives, so it’s been so awesome to see us all improve so quickly”, said Sasha Lippis, a senior musical theater major who will play #13 in “The Wolves”.
Over the course of 90 minutes, the nine players engage in these difficult conversations while also battling struggles of their own in these difficult conversations while also battling struggles of their own.
“I think that UM students will really resonate with these girls’ insane determination. We’ve all been in high-pressure environments, we’ve all worked hard for something and everyone’s got baggage,” Tisdale said.
The themes of their conversations are often controversial and cause conflict between teammates.
“The play explores themes like womanhood, growing up, loss and grief. It’s definitely what I would call a coming-of-age play,” Lippis said.
The play was originally produced off-Broadway in 2016 and it received a lot of recognition. It was a Pulitzer Prize finalist, an Outer Critics Circle Nomination and a Yale Prize finalist.
“The Wolves is a play about a community — a wolfpack. The loyalty, organization, and hunger for power that encompasses a true pack of wolves, is also very present in this production,” Tisdale added. “I truly think that every person in the audience will be able to see themselves as a member of this team.”
UM students can get a $12 ticket with a valid student ID, and all other tickets range from $15 to $30. The Ring Theatre box office windows open on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from noon to 4 p.m., as well as 2 hours before each curtain.
Content warning: this show discusses sensible topics like sexual assault, war crimes, substance abuse and depression, among others.