The Wolves: A Play

Each scene of the play takes place on the field but outside of the playing space. The girls warm up, perform their drills and stretching rituals, and interact as teammates. Tension is heightened as the girls prepare for the games, which occur offstage. The referee’s whistle calls them to the playing space to start each game, which also means their removal from the audience, regardless of whether this interrupts a conversation. With the whistle, the referee also stops, starts, and ends the game. The whistle sets a clear border between practice and performance: preparation for life, or adolescence, and actual life, which interrupts the play in totality when Megan dies.  

The audience watches the practice, and during this nothing the girls do regarding soccer counts. They play, they make mistakes—not just with the ball but also in their friendships with each other, but these errors rarely have consequences. This parallels their preparation for adulthood; serious consequences don’t occur, because they’re practicing. This transition is messy and often baffling. Some are starting to make adult choices with ramifications. #7 has unprotected sex and manages to avoid pregnancy by taking Plan B.