←Recommendations of The Wolves

Had the honor to be in a staged reading of this in the spring of 2016 at the University of Puget Sound. DeLappe's "The Wolves" is Mean Girls by way of David Mamet. The ensemble is well-defined and three dimensional, the dialogue is punchy and hilarious, and it all culminates in a surprisingly emotional ending. The voices of teenagers can be hard to portray without cliche, but DeLappe steers clear of that trap and delivers 10 believable high school girls, which makes the play all the more impactful by its end.

DeLappe's use of naturalistic, overlapping dialogue makes this character study soar. Every character is uniquely defined and explored, and the play ramps up to a climax that left me unable to put the play down until I finished it. A fine piece of writing, and a needed piece in women's theatre.

At a glance this looked like a daunting read (nine characters, only identified by their jersey number), and then I was blown away by how quickly I eased into who is speaking when and why. The Wolves is as deeply realized a play about young women can be. The language is frantic and messy yet so precise, it breaks the rules in so many fascinating ways, and the ending is so deeply affecting in its indirectness. It's hilarious, it's ugly, it's beautiful, it's heart-squeezing.

Was lucky enough to see this play yesterday at The Duke on 42nd. This is far and away my favorite play I've seen in 2016. What a breath of fresh air to see incredibly well-drawn characters for young women that are smart or mean or awkward or gross or goofy or all of those things at once. The ensemble DeLappe has built into this show is unmatched. Hoping to see it again on closing!

Studied and saw this play at the O'Neill Theater Center's NTI program. As a soccer fan and a former high school teacher, this language, this story, and these characters are a part of my story.

I DON'T HAVE WORDS. Luckily Sarah DeLappe does, and they are never misused, and so precise. This is a play which really challenges what you can do on a stage. And it has so many roles for women. It's perfect. Pick it.

Hilarious and heartbreaking. Amazing roles for young women. One of my favorite new plays I've read in recent memory!

Love that this play has so many wonderful parts for females! Also love the language of the play which is bloody and true dealing with girls as bleeders and their compassion (or lack of compassion) when it comes to dealing with war criminals and genocide. It's funny, and then it's darker than that, in a good way!

I love this play. It sneaks up on you in ways you don't expect.