If you ever wanted to learn just how a female athlete in Middle America comes of age, I’d offer you up my diary, but “The Wolves” at Dobama Theatre is a far more artistic and equally raw picture of girlhood.
“The Wolves” premiered off-Broadway in September 2016 and was a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. The 90-minute, one-act play depicts the pre-game warmup for an indoor soccer team in “Middle America” over the course of a few weekends. The girls navigate external and internal pressures, gossip, competition, joy, grief, friendships and belonging, all while trying to impress college scouts.
Playwright Sarah DeLappe’s show is hyper-realistic in so many ways, and real means messy. Conversations overlap and interject, ranging from the complex (the ethics of executing an elderly member of the Khmer Rouge) to the trivial (pads versus tampons). Under the direction of Leighann DeLorenzo, the complex flow of dialogue demanded of “The Wolves” is beautifully cacophonous. The players strike a careful balance between replicating the chaos of realistic conversations and presenting such realism in a way that it does not overwhelm the audience, all the while maintaining artistry.
The set consists of an artificial turf ground and half-wall. When paired with Josee Coyle’s stark lighting design, it is a simple but effective means of portraying the sidelines of an indoor soccer complex. It lends the nine players ample space to stretch their muscles, both physical and verbal. The simplicity of the set places the company under especially intense scrutiny; the believability of their collective performances as teenage girls is tantamount to the success of the show. In this, Dobama’s cast succeeds unquestioningly.
All of the actresses can be commended on their ability to convincingly handle a soccer ball, due in part to coach Mario Houston. Leading the pack with her ball-juggling skills is Tabitha Raithel (#25), the team captain figure. Raithel deftly navigates playing the authority figure while still maintaining an air of levity.
Casey Merren (#7) is delightfully scary and intimidating as the domineering mean-girl character. The air that exists between Merren and Abby Nagle (#14) is complex, interesting and authentic. Together, Merren and Nagle present characters sure to elicit memories of best-forgotten high school dynamics.
As with any group, there are obvious outsiders. These are played by Cate Castelli (#46), the homeschooled newbie, and Emily Kuntz (#2), the religious and insecure girl with a protective mother. Castelli and Kuntz are sweet and shy and sympathy-inducing, but also humorous in their naivety.
Raina Thiegs (#13) provides a class clown-esque sense of comic relief with well-timed physicality and inflections. Another source of welcome light is Nova Gomez (#8), whose innocent, sweet charm easily elicits smiles from their fellow teammates and the audience. Sarah Farris’ (#11) more socially-engaged character delights with her depictions of dismay over the other girls’ ignorance.
Despite having the least amount of lines, some of the most striking moments of the show are delivered by Anjanette Hall (Soccer Mom), who gives a jarringly emotional and frazzled monologue, and Jasmine Renee (#00). Renee’s goalie character is quiet and ridden with anxiety. While she hardly speaks, any time you look at Renee while she silently stretches, you can see the depth and intensity of her character written in her face and body. Her solo workout session, fueled by heightened, all-encompassing music courtesy of sound designer Bella Brehm, is exceptional.
The actors utilize body language–the way they rise from a stretch, biting at their nails, throwing side-eyes, performing handshakes–to add a personalized bit of depth to every character. This is aided by the odd set of headphones, headband or choice of book bag that adds flavor and personality. Just as soon as you slot a character into an archetype, that assumption is flipped on its head as the players reveal that they are complex, dynamic individuals in the midst of discovering the world and their place in it.
As a female athlete who attended high school near the time this play was released, I can vouch for “The Wolves’” authenticity and accuracy (with the small exception of how often social media is mentioned). “The Wolves” accurately depicts the chafing proximity of sharing the sport you love with individuals different from yourself and wanting to support them just as much as you want to out-perform them. It shows audiences the dirty, uncomfortable pressures of being a young woman navigating puberty, body-image and sex. It creates a window into the fragile camaraderie and complex relationships between girls who have the unique ability to tear one another down just as efficiently as they can build one another up.
Dobama Theatre lists a couple of content advisory warnings for their production of “The Wolves”: adult language and adult situations. I would argue that you should beware of a third warning: hyper realistic depictions of girlhood (may startle in its accuracy).
“The Wolves” runs through March 30 at Dobama Theatre, 2340 Lee Rd., Cleveland Heights. Visit dobama.org or call (216) 932-3396 for tickets, $35-$42
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This article appears in Feb 27 – Mar 12, 2025.