Renaissance Theaterworks' 'The Wolves' is a rare view inside world of athletic teen girls

The actors in Renaissance Theaterworks' production of "The Wolves" look so young.

They are.

Teenage members of First Stage's Young Company portray soccer players their own age in Sarah DeLappe's dramedy. It's one of the most unusual and distinctive productions you will see in Milwaukee this season.

Retractable indoor soccer netting reinforces the idea that we are eavesdropping on these girls as they warm up and stretch each week for their next match. They're high school juniors, high achievers who hope to catch the eyes of scouts who can recommend them for college scholarships. With one exception, they've played together for years.

Director Elyse Edelman's staging, aided by Jayne Regan Pink's movement design and soccer skills coaching from Laila Eslami, pulses with energy. In both their drills and in transitions, the girls move crisply and vigorously. Brandon Reed's sound design, including some pounding drums between scenes, reinforces the sense of them as a pack and a tribe.

But even packs, tribes and infantry squads (war movies were one of DeLappe's inspirations) have conflicts. The playwright identifies the characters only by number, not by name. Mean-girl striker (and instinctive feminist) #7 (Ryan Bennett) clashes with the captain, #25 (Alice Rivera), who's the de facto coach because their paid adult mentor is worthless. New girl #46 (Reiley Fitzsimmons), home-schooled and socially awkward, disrupts their cohesion with her pointed questions, her surprising skill and her remarkable life experience, which highlights their suburban insularity.

They argue about adult things like justice for Khmer Rouge leaders and the plight of migrant children. But they're also still kids who look forward to sleepovers and can do "Power Rangers" moves. They speak harshly and crassly to each other, but they're also supportive. Premarital sex and abortion are discussed, but only as one of many lines of talk here. (Renaissance recommends this show for adults and teens.)

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I have now seen 18 different productions of "The Wolves" (professional, community and college), but this is the first one where all nine girls were played by teens. Their energetic performances nail the humor — and Sunday's opening-night audience appeared to grasp every funny line in this fast-moving play.

There are no minor characters in "The Wolves." As #13, the class clown, Josie Van Slyke is as funny as anyone I've seen anywhere performing this role. Maya Thomure evinces both the brains and humor of #11; Natalie Ottman's #8 sweetly reminds us that not every girl is eager to grow up. As #14, Lorelei Wesselowski faces the painful challenge of self-assertion in a conflict with a friend.

Two characters embody the intense pressures many girls feel today: Elena Marking's #00, the anxiety-ridden goalkeeper, and Madison Jones' #2, a scarf-knitting do-gooder who's had multiple concussions and also has an eating disorder.

In the final scene, as the Wolves regroup after an offstage tragedy, a soccer mom (Marcella Kearns) enters their space, reminding us that the players, who have come to seem so powerful in their own zone, are still girls (and ones who feel the weight of parental expectations).

If you go

Renaissance Theaterworks performs "The Wolves" through Feb. 11 at 255 S. Water St. For tickets, visit r-t-w.com or call (414) 278-0765.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Renaissance Theaterworks portrays girls at play in 'The Wolves'