Curtain Call Theatre Presents "The Wolves"

Braintree, MA — September 1, 2026— Curtain Call Theatre (CCT) brings Sarah DeLappe's The Wolves to the stage as part of their "Hear Her Roar!" season, a season celebrating women's voices, courage, and power. Directed by Bill and Anne Gardiner, this fiercely funny, extremely human production steps onto the soccer field with nine young women—and invites audiences to listen closely as they navigate friendship, identity, expectations, loss, and the exhilarating, sometimes messy process of figuring out who they are.

Set on an indoor soccer field, The Wolves follows a high school girls' soccer team as they warm up before their games, navigating everything from world events and school gossip to friendship, sexuality, family, loss, and the complicated process of growing up.

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But according to directors Bill and Anne Gardiner (Weymouth, MA), the play is about far more than soccer. "It's a coming-of-age story," they explain. "These young women are transitioning into adulthood and are confronted with all the complications that entails."

At the heart of The Wolves is the question of how we discover who we are—and how we find our community, our "pack," along the way. The characters face disappointment, unfulfilled expectations, loss, and uncertainty while also discovering their own strengths, celebrating victories, and beginning to understand the place they are making for themselves in the world.

For Bill and Anne, the opportunity to direct The Wolves was especially compelling because of the play's strong female characters—something they feel is still woefully underrepresented in the traditional theatre canon.

They were also struck by the play's unique construction. Multiple conversations unfold simultaneously, yet each remains distinct enough to reveal something about the individual girls. The dialogue has a musicality and rhythm that makes the play feel immediate and alive.

And while soccer provides the setting, the sport itself is almost beside the point.

In the words of the directors, one of the most surprising things about the play is "how little the team talks about the sport."

Instead, the soccer field becomes a space where these young women reveal themselves to one another—and, ultimately, to the audience.

For Bill and Anne, The Wolves also offers a thoughtful look at what it means to be a girl today.

For Bill and Anne, The Wolves also offers a thoughtful look at what it means to be a girl today.

The traditional expectations surrounding female behavior, desires, and identity do not always fit neatly into the lives of these young women. What emerges is a portrait of girls who are intelligent, resilient, complicated, compassionate, and very much in the process of becoming themselves.

"Seeing it come alive with actors on stage brings that understanding to a new level," the directors say.

That process of bringing the play to life has been one of the most rewarding aspects of the production for Bill and Anne. One of their greatest challenges has been incorporating specific movements that are "at least soccer adjacent" with the play's fast-moving, interwoven dialogue—without allowing the physicality to distract from the story.

But that challenge, they say, is also what makes the work so rewarding.

"And, of course, to work with such an immensely talented cast and production team has been a dream."

Ultimately, Bill and Anne hope audiences leave The Wolves thinking about the preciousness of life, the ways our early experiences shape our understanding of ourselves and the world, and the vulnerability of adolescence.

They hope audiences feel compassion for young people navigating a world that can be complex, unpredictable, and confusing.

And most of all, they hope audiences leave with hope.

Because every Wolf is finding her way.

Every Wolf is discovering her voice.

And every Wolf is looking for her pack.

THE CAST

#00 — Elizabeth Nelson-Childs — Bellingham, MA

#2 — Grace McCarthy — Allston, MA

#7 — Mia Mercurio — Brighton, MA

#8 — Cassidy Guimares — Pembroke, MA

#11 — Alyse Clinton — Hull, MA

#13 — Madison Crees — Braintree, MA

#14 — Maia Ettinger — Newton, MA

#25 — Kaleigh Ryan — Plymouth, MA

#46 — Violet Villanueva — Brighton, MA

Soccer Mom — Toni Ruscio — Weymouth, MA

THE PRODUCTION TEAM

Stage Manager — Erin Thomas-Lopatosky — Easton, MA
Set Design — Jim Gross — Weymouth, MA
Costume Design — Jim Gross and Erin Thomas-Lopatosky
Lighting Design — Ryan Guimares and Kristiana Nogueira — Pembroke, MA / Taunton, MA
Sound Design — Hallie Grace Nowicki — Hingham, MA
Props Design — Erin Thomas-Lopatosky
Rehearsal Swing — Kristiana Nogueira

PERFORMANCE DATES

September 25 & 26 at 7:30 PM
September 27 at 2:00 PM
October 2 & 3 at 7:30 PM
October 4 at 2:00 PM

All performances take place at Curtain Call Theatre, 182 Commercial Street, Braintree, Massachusetts.

Tickets: $35

Tickets and additional information:
curtaincallbraintree.org — Plays & Musicals

ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

The Wolves by Sarah DeLappe
Directed by Bill and Anne Gardiner
Presented by Curtain Call Theatre
Part of the "Hear Her Roar!" season

Hear Her Roar! is a season celebrating women's voices, courage, and power.

ABOUT CURTAIN CALL THEATRE AND TRIAD THEATRE COMPANY

Curtain Call Theatre is a longtime community theatre in Braintree, Massachusetts, with Triad Theatre Company in residence. Together, they present theatrical work that entertains, challenges, and creates opportunities for artists and audiences to experience powerful stories in an intimate setting.

For more information, tickets, and the complete "Hear Her Roar!" season, visit:
curtaincallbraintree.org.