[NoHo Arts District, CA] – A NoHo Arts theatre review of Los Angeles Pierce College Theatre Department’s production of The Wolves, directed by Shaheen Vaaz.
I have seen some wonderful plays at Pierce College’s Theatre Department. They are nothing if not inventive and they always revolve the shows around the talents and the strengths of the students. I am always impressed, but The Wolves is on another level altogether.
The story is about a girls’ indoor soccer team and is set on the practice field. Entirely. In fact, the set is wall-to-wall indoor soccer grass…literally. The audience is on opposite sides of the ‘field.’ As if we are cheering for opposing sides. As the girls go through their daily routines, stretching, running, dribbling, etc., they talk. Boy, do they talk.
These girls are in high school, but this team is not a school team. This team is full of girls who dream of getting a soccer scholarship and eventually even turning pro. They are deadly serious and take no prisoners. But this is not a Lord Of the Flies type story, not at all. These are normal girls after all, and not the Hollywood high school girls, all mean and psychotic, thin and boy obsessed. These girls are the real thing. Funny, stressed, trying to figure out how they feel about everything from war to tampons. These girls think and speak their minds and trust each other, on the field at least, and they have ambition.
All this action, all this revelation and study and talk and life happens while they work out. They run, really run. They do squats and stretches, and it’s so mind-bogglingly brilliant that I hardly took a breath, and I have no idea when they had time to! It’s 90 minutes of nonstop action. Relationships blossoming and shattering in front of us. Their coach absent, the assistant coach, also a high school student, is trying to keep them all focused, and it’s hard to do when these women are literally becoming themselves every single day.
Who came up with this? Who created this? What genius thought that a theatre audience would be even interested in a story about a gaggle of girls just being their glorious selves? My best friend’s daughter played soccer competitively from three to college. She was this close to turning pro. So I remember the games, and I only went to a few when she was very young. The dedication is incredible. Every day, before school training. After school training. Weekend games at home and away. It’s so intense, and in amongst all of that, people are just developing their minds, discovering their likes and dislikes. Forming deep philosophies about life. Just as if they were sitting at home doing nothing.
Women are who make the world. Babies, children, people. That is why this kind of play is important, not just because it’s just absolutely unique and powerful, but because it is about young women. Something does happen, I won’t spoil it for you because it is also very important, but even if the play was just about these incredible girls and their incredible personalities, varied, beautiful and crazy as they are, it would be enough.
The Wolves is important because it is us. These wondrous, flawed, unformed, funny, smart, strong, confident, shy, odd, quiet, loud, big, little, serious, unhinged girls are the world. And this play, after all that is going wrong in this world, gave me such hope, so much joy, and compassion for everyone around me. I cannot encourage you enough to see this incredible, innovative piece of theatre with a group of young women who are just magical. What in the world!!!! And it’s at Pierce College, not the Royal Court in The West End. Or on Broadway, or at A Noise within or The Road Theatre. This incredible play, The Wolves, is at our brilliant Pierce College Theatre Department. Wow!!!!! Just wow!!!!
Only one more weekend!!! Get your tickets now. Change your life!!
Where:
Pierce College Theatre Departmen
6201 Winnetka Ave. Woodland Hills
When:
March 27-April 5
Friday and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm
Tickets:
The Wolves cast features Michi Arroyo, Lola Blasco, Olivia Espinoza, Loumaile Finau, Kristen Hansen, Eliot Laizure, Sophia Lewis, Rachel Moultri Margolin, Sofiya Mecit, Cadence Palitang, Atticus Perry, Eryn Salinas and Shannon Toledo.
The Team
LAPC Theatre’s production is directed by Shaheen Vaaz. The production features scenic design by Frederica Nascimento, costume design by Hex Nahas, lighting design by Briana Pattillo and sound design by DJ Medina. Jacob Garcia is the stage manager.