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The Robert Plaster Center is not the typical venue for a theatrical performance, but PSU Theatre has commandeered the athletic facility for their most recent production.
From Thursday, Mar. 4 through Sunday, Mar. 7, PSU Theatre will be streaming on demand their production of Sarah DeLappe’s “The Wolves.” The performance was recorded with help from the staff of the Bicknell Family Center for the Arts and utilizes the Astroturf indoor field of the Robert Plaster Center as a stage. The play centers around a group of teenage girls on an indoor soccer team, “The Wolves.” The play also delves into topics such as adolescent isolation and emotional development. The play is free for viewing for those with a PSU student ID or $6 for general public.
“The Wolves’ connects to all of us,” said Gil Cooper, professor of communication and director of the production. “It’s a reflection of who we are through the lens of who we were…”
Cooper also called the play “unflinching, quick, hilarious, and written for a mature audience.” The play originally opened Off-Broadway in 2016 and focuses on the individual struggles of the team through their weekly Saturday morning warmups. The play’s opening scene attempts to demonstrate some of the complex relationships in groups of teenage girls, featuring gossip and overlapping conversations about many different topics. The play also features adult themes such as abortion, so audience discretion is advised.
The cast is an all-female group of ten, made up of both veterans to the PSU theatre program and newcomers. Past performers include Hunter Adamson and Belle L’Heureux from “Silent Sky,” Payton Boswell from “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” Hailey Denton from “The Revenge of the Space Pandas,” and Miranda Madden from “The Bacchae.” Newcomers to PSU Theatre include Khadijah Ceesay, Madison Correll, Audrey Hartwell, Tayler Matthews, and Shakota Woolsey. The cast is also joined by Linden Little on scenic design and Lisa Quinteros on costume design.
“The style is raw conversations that women have that might be uncomfortable or taboo for some people,” said L’Heureux, junior in pre-med. “The beauty of ‘The Wolves’ is how real it is. The lines include the ignorance, pain, and comedy that so many high schoolers have. This play has reminded me of the beauty of young friendships and innocence.”
L’Heureux also said that the play focuses on themes that young women are not often acknowledged for or are told to avoid.
Denton, junior in social work and native of Pittsburg, said the show has reminded her of her own struggles growing up and being a teenager.
“A huge theme is inclusivity,” she said. “Our characters are such a tight-knit group that when someone new tries to join, who is very different than us in terms of the way she talks and acts, we get a little territorial. This play really brings to life how when you’re 16 or 17, some small things can feel like the end of the world.”
Tickets may be purchased online (www.pittstate.edu/office/tickets) or through the Weede Ticket Office.
