Arts and athletics meet head-to-head in Kenan Theatre Company’s production of “The Wolves” from April 12-16.
“The Wolves,” written by Sarah DeLappe, recently closed at Lincoln Center Theater and features an all-female cast. The play follows nine young women, who play on a high school indoor soccer team, through the ups and downs of life.
Aubrey Snowden, director of “The Wolves,” described the everyday, colloquial nature of the play.
“It’s a hyper-realistic play,” Snowden said. “The language is very much on top of each other. It’s very funny, fast and lots of swearing.”
The soccer players in the play aren’t given or referred to by names, but instead go by the number on their jerseys. While it can be confusing to read off the script, Snowden said it comes to life in person.
“It’s a fun way to unify the team, and it’s fun for the audience because the cast is in uniform and you can keep track of them by their numbers.” Snowden said. “You realize throughout the show, pretty quickly, that you don’t care about the numbers, you learn who they are."
Not only is “The Wolves” cast almost an all-female, but the show's female-dominant production also contributed to the overall dynamic of the show. Snowden said her favorite part of the production was creating a tribe of women and being able to incorporate team dynamics from athletics into the show.
“I think it’s a play that’s really good to see because we’re in a place where we’re giving voices to young women,” Snowden said. “Especially young women who are at a place in their lives where they’re being molded into who they are. You really get a sense of that on stage.”
McKenzie Wilson, a senior at UNC, plays Number 13 — a goofy 16-year-old who’s always cracking jokes to her friends and learns throughout the play that life isn’t always fun and games. Wilson sees a lot of her younger self in her character, which helped her embrace the role.
