The Arnold Hall theater is currently being transformed into an indoor soccer field. This is not a new initiative executed by the SCAD soccer teams but scenery for the SCAD performing arts department’s first mainstage production of fall quarter, “The Wolves.”
Directed by SCAD Performing Arts Professor Meg Kelly, “The Wolves” takes place on an indoor soccer field where audiences are, in Kelly’s words, “exposed to the struggle, humor and determination of nine young women as they warm up for their weekly games.”
The show, written by Sarah DeLappe, received the American Playwriting Foundation’s inaugural Relentless Award, among other accolades.
“‘The Wolves’ is a hot play right now,” Kelly said. “It was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama and is currently being produced at Lincoln Center in New York where our alumna Anne-Marie Trabolsi has been cast as an understudy for three roles.”
Kelly said she took on the project after Chair of Performing Art Mark Tymchyshn asked her to direct this quarter. “The Wolves” has been as unique as the play itself, with its specific setting and arrangement, according to Kelly.
“We began by training the actors in soccer,” Kelly said. “They begin every rehearsal with soccer drills and pump up music. Every scene in the play is a warm-up for a game. Soccer warm-ups are synchronized, so we began our process by choreographing these precise movements. As we worked our way through the routine, we found the heart of the play. The immersive quality of the play is both challenging and exciting. We placed the audience on the stage in opposing bleachers, creating an ‘us and them’ ambiance.”
The production calls for an all-female ensemble cast where no character outshines the other on this fictional soccer field (the team’s name is “The Wolves”). Kelly said the students she is directing have been nothing but supportive of each other.
“They have truly become a team,” Kelly said. “There is no star in this show. The omission of a lead character naturally creates a strong ensemble. The biggest challenge has been synchronizing movement while maintaining spontaneity in the actors. We are now at a point where this is happening and it is amazing to watch.”
Through the rehearsal process, Kelly said she and the cast made discoveries about each of the characters and the story itself that were difficult to visualize without staging the show and simply reciting the words aloud.
“This show has been a treasure trove,” Kelly said. “It is endless.”
Besides the chance to see a soccer field onstage in Arnold Hall, Kelly said the biggest reason for the SCAD community to come support the show is the students running it.
“We have the most talented, committed and hard-working group,” Kelly said. “Actors, designers, assistant directors and stage managers – thank you Ashley Hedgepeth – have worked together as an ensemble to make this play come alive and their hard work, generosity and creativity have paid off. I can’t wait for opening night.”
“The Wolves” opens Wednesday, Oct. 25 at 8 p.m. and runs through Saturday, Oct. 28. Tickets are available online or at the Savannah Box Office at 216 E. Broughton St.
Written by Emilie Kefalas.
