The Department of Theatre at Hope College will present Sarah DeLappe’s “The Wolves” on Friday-Sunday, Oct. 8-10, and Wednesday-Friday, Oct. 13-15, in the main theatre in the DeWitt Student and Cultural Center.
The performances on Oct. 8, 9, and 13-15 will begin at 7:30 p.m. The performance on Sunday, Oct. 10, will be a free matinee beginning at 2 p.m.
Directed by Richard Perez, assistant professor of theatre at Hope, “The Wolves” centers on a female high school soccer team and their fervid pre-game warm ups. The 2017 Pulitzer Prize finalist explores the intricacies of navigating female adolescence, identity and coming of age in a complicated world. As Perez states, “What drew me to ‘The Wolves’ is its honest exploration of what it is to be an adolescent girl growing up today. While the play is darkly funny, it also pulls no punches in its portrayal of many of the tough issues teenage girls have to navigate. I have been very impressed with our cast and their fierce dedication to portraying these characters as truthfully as possible.”
“The Wolves” received the American Playwriting Foundation's inaugural Relentless Award in 2015 and was a New York Times Critic’s Pick. It was a finalist in 2015-16 for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize, and won the 2017 Obie Award for Ensemble work. The 2017 Pulitzer committee described “The Wolves” as “A timely play about a girls’ high school soccer team that illuminates with the unmistakable ping of reality the way young selves are formed when innate character clashes with external challenges.” (“The Pulitzer Prizes”)
In addition to Perez, the college’s production team includes Professor Michelle Bombe, chair of the department, as costume designer; Ken Chamberlain, assistant director of production for dance and theatre, as sound designer; Eric Van Tassell, assistant professor of theatre, as lighting designer; senior Zach Pickle as assistant lighting designer; Lisa Borton as guest scenic and properties designer; Tom Van Tassell as soccer advisor, and staff members Stephen Krebs, Erik Alberg and Darlene Veenstra as technical director, production manager and costume shop manager, respectively. Also serving on the production team is junior Emily Dykhouse of Holland as stage manager.
The cast includes freshman Isabel Blaney of Valparaiso, Ind.; sophomore Selena Capman of Fennville; sophomore Abigail Doonan of Kalamazoo; senior Lisbeth Franzon of Whitehall; freshman Alegría Guzmán of Quito, Ecuador; junior Tia Hockenhull of Southfield; freshman Danai Mandebvu of Harare, Zimbabwe; junior Katy Smith of Plymouth, Ind.; and freshman Sara Verduzco of Kalamazoo. In addition, Michelle Bombe, department chair, will be making a guest appearance.
The play’s content includes mental health struggles, strong language, mention of sexual situations and death.
Tickets are $10 for regular admission; $7 for senior citizens and Hope faculty and staff; and free for Hope College students and students ages 18 and under. Tickets are available at the Events and Conferences Office located in downtown Holland in the Anderson-Werkman Financial Center (100 E. Eighth St.). The ticket office is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and can be reached at 616-395-7890. Tickets can also be purchased online at hope.edu/tickets and will be sold at the door if available.
Audience members who need assistance to fully enjoy any event at Hope are encouraged to contact the college’s Events and Conferences Office by emailing events@hope.edu or calling 616-395-7222 on weekdays between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. Updates related to events are posted when available in the individual listings at hope.edu/calendar
Due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, Hope is currently requiring that masks be worn by all individuals while indoors on campus unless in their living space or alone in their work space.
The DeWitt Student and Cultural Center is located at 141 E 12th St., facing Columbia Avenue between 10th and 13th Streets.