The Wolves: A Play

One of the most talked-about plays of the past decade and a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, Sarah DeLappe’s The Wolves has become a cornerstone of contemporary American theater, earning a reputation as one of the most frequently produced works by a modern playwright.

“Incandescent . . . The scary, exhilarating brightness of raw adolescence emanates from every scene of this uncannily assured first play.” —The New York Times 

At once funny, raw, and sharply observed, The Wolves follows nine teenage girls on an indoor soccer team as they warm up each week—stretching, joking, and circling around the bigger questions shaping their lives. Through overlapping, often unfiltered dialogue, the play captures the rhythms of teenage speech and the intensity of group dynamics with unusual clarity.

From the relative safety of their suburban stretch circle, the team navigates competition, friendship, and identity, as small tensions and passing comments accumulate into something more revealing. The result is a portrait of adolescence that feels immediate and unscripted, grounded in voice as much as in story.

Widely taught and frequently produced, The Wolves has become a contemporary staple for its authentic ensemble writing and actor-driven energy. It offers readers and performers alike a vivid, emotionally resonant look at how young women come of age—together and apart, in moments both ordinary and defining.