On December 9-10, the Encinal Drama Department put on its anticipated production of The Wolves, a play following a girls soccer team through a single season, and the various successes and hardships they experience along the way. Instead of using a stage, the actors performed on a small, spotlighted turf field with the audience surrounding them. Both shows sold out.

The blend of the simple set and the raw, true-to-life acting created an intensely immersive experience for the audience. Instead of a normal theater performance, it felt like you were eavesdropping on the conversations of a real soccer team.

The entirety of the play takes place over five consecutive pre-game warmups, and the storyline is built solely through the conversations the nine players have with each other. This simplicity was a welcome change from the usual action-packed, dramatized theater, and still allowed for conflicts, complexities, and other life challenges to be addressed in the story.

“The energy in the room was electrifying,” said theater director Lachelle Morris. “I spoke with many of the patrons after the play of all ages who told me they felt connected to at least one of the characters, which was definitely the goal.”

As tragedy strikes near the end of the performance, the audience is able to see the authentic ways each character is affected and tries to cope. I know I wasn’t the only one to feel emotional as the final act came to a close.

“I think it's so amazing when a performance is able to move people that way,” said Encinal sophomore Inky Arneson, who played both #14 and “Soccer Mom” in the show. “It really shows the power of live theater and how important it is, not just for the school, but everywhere.”