The Wolves
BY SARAH DELAPPE
Directed by Caitlin Hill
15th February - 9th March, 2024
About the Play
A girls indoor soccer team warms up. From the safety of their suburban stretch circle, the team navigate big questions and wage tiny battles with all the vigour of a pack of adolescent warriors. A portrait of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for nine American girls who just want to score some goals.
After the fever pitch excitement of the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, our team is fangin’ to cram that same fierceness and exhilaration to explode it against the walls of our black box theatre.
CAST
#00 | Chelsea Doran & Maddi Jane Römcke
Chelsea performs the role on the 22nd - 25th of Feb, and 2nd, 3rd, 7th, and 9th of March
Maddi Jane performs the role on the 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 29th of Feb, and 1st & 8th of March
#2 | Malika Savory
#7 | Shanay De Marco
#8 | Aimee Duroux
On the Sunday 25th of Feb Matinee, the role of #8 will be played by Maddi Jane Römke.
#11 | Madeline Armit
#13 | Tainika Kane-Potaka
#14 | Emma Black
#25 | Sharnee Tones
#46 | Emily Marszalek
Soccer Mom | Stella T. Page & Doll Hunt
Stella performs the role on 15th, 17th, 23rd, 24th, 25th, 29th of Feb, and 2nd, 7th, 8th and 9th of March
Doll performs the role on 16th, 18th, 22nd of Feb, and 1st, and 3rd of March
CREW AND CREATIVES
Director | Caitlin Hill
Assistant Director | Samara Louise
Production Assistant | Michaela Faux
Stage Manager | Carys Maguire
Composer & Sound Designer | Justin Harrison
Lighting Designer | Cale Dennis
Standby Technical Operators | Mitchell Guyatt & Claire Yorston
Lighting and Sound Design Attachment | Madelyne Leite
Voice Coach - Rosalind Williams
Director’s Notes
My first experience with football—“Soccer!”—was as the little sister at my brother’s soccer practice. My Dad was their coach. I remember his enthusiasm when for only a fleeting moment I showed interest in joining in… and then I got distracted by grass probably or was hit in the head with a ball (the usual story). I never liked sports competition, so I pushed it away, but I remember sidelines and orange slices. I knew I was on hallowed ground.
Football would follow me through my life, from my Dad falling asleep trying to watch games at 2AM, to dragging him out of a New York bar because he wanted to watch a match, to most recently, trying to read a book on the couch while Justin (our composer and sound designer) watched the Matildas vs les Bleues at the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Before I knew it, the book lay forgotten as I became entranced by the women playing that ferocious game. The Tie! The Shootout! I was sweating, I was rocking back and forth. I cried when Courtney Vine scored that final goal… and I was hooked. I hope you feel the same way when you watch our team perform for you tonight.
Thank you to Fiona Kennedy, Ad Astra’s Creative Director for bringing this play to my attention after Proof ended and giving me the gift of directing it for Ad Astra’s 2024 season. Thank you always to Dan for all your help and advice. And a very extra special thanks to our Executive Producer, Gregory Wilken, who has given us so much of his free time to help, advise, and keep us on the right path. We have learned so much from you!
To the designers: Cale Dennis and Justin Harrison.
Cale, so fun to work with you creatively. Thank you for being in sync with me right from the beginning and bringing forth beautiful, dreamy ideas of girlhood and wolf packs.
Justin, once again you have exceeded your role of composer and designer, creating a beautiful melody that has so much meaning within it, to include venue technician (installing the tech and the grass, programming, painting the line, running off to the rescue to keep our actors safe, and so so much more). I love your love for good quality theatre. Love you. And thank you both.
To my team: Carys Maguire, Samara Louise, Michaela Faux.
Carys, thank you for coffee and being open to taking on this role and really excelling daily at it. Thank you for being there for the team, thank you for making blood and chopping oranges, and keeping the production running smoothly.
Samara, thank you for bringing joy and positivity to this production. I loved your notes and ideas and am so glad we could make them sing. I know everyone appreciated your energy and your professionalism. Thank you for backing me throughout this production.
Michaela, what a pleasure it has been to work with you. To pluck you out of uni during your graduate show week to begin the process I have experienced too, but you do it with such grace and ease that I only wish I could have. You have been there since day zero, and you have helped in so many ways: from editing and printing the marketing material, to scheduling posts and making all the Wolves content, to shopping for the production and adding the Wolf stamp to the costumes to really make them a Team! What a multi-talented individual.
Thank you all for being in my corner and fighting for this production every step of the way. I am looking forward to your careers as artists and bosses in this industry.
To my Dream Team: The Cast.
My shining beacons in the dark. My saviours and supporters. My dance captains and sports coaches. We made this together. So many of these moments are Yours and I am so grateful for you all. It was such a joy to collaborate with you all and champion you all to keep being your most funny, most incredible, authentic selves. Is have learned so much from you all, and I will treasure all the laugh-til-you-cry moments and actual-cry moments you made in the rehearsal room and on stage each night. Thank you for working so hard, through injuries and awful shoes, to make The Wolves a truly magical experience.
Thank you to our invaluable and forever-kind voice coach, Rosalind Williams, and to everyone else who assisted in this production’s journey: Tom Coyle (video marketing), Maddie Armit and Greg Scurr (media), Madelyne, Claire, Mitchell, Sandra Harman and the FOH Volunteers, APRA, and 4ZZZ.
Show Poster
Reviews
“Ad Astra scores another hit with Sarah DeLappe’s The Wolves”
Beth Keehn - Stage Whispers | Read Full Review Here
“It is exciting to see a professional theatre company focusing their energy on the development of emerging local talent in a supportive environment and I will most certainly be back for the remaining 2024 season.”
Sarah Skubala - Westender | Read Full Review Here
And under Caitlin Hill’s direction, a clear camaraderie is forged, which ultimately sees the pack of players united as their common journey unfolds.
Meredith Walker - Blue Curtains | Read Full Review Here
The Wolves sharply captures the viciousness, vulgarity, and violence that truly accompanies teenage girlhood, and paints a picture of nine young women grappling with the largeness and unfairness of the adult world as well as the volatile day-to-day of school, friends, family, and relationships.
Backstreet Brisbane | Read Full Review
Overall, ‘The Wolves’ was an exceptional production. Starting with a script that was quietly clever and subtly moving, combined with the creative and powerful directing of Caitlin Hill and then brought together by an exceptional cast. There is not a negative comment to be made about ‘The Wolves’. It is as close to perfect as a piece of live theatre can get.
Yasmin Elahi - Queensland Stage Critics | Read Full Review Here
“What I saw was some incredible performances”
Susan and Oliver Hetherington - The Ride Home | Listen to Full Review Here
“Ad Astra’s production of The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe opened last weekend and was bolstered by strong performances and thoughtful direction.”
Bridie Middleton - Stage Door | Read Full Review Here
Cast
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Creatives & Crew
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Production Photography
Credit : Luke Mayze
