WOLF PLAYBY HANSOL JUNG
DIRECTED BY MARCEL A. MASCARÓ MARCH 21 -
APRIL 7 |
“Wilbury Theatre Group’s ‘Wolf Play’ is original, engaging, thought-provoking theater with superb acting and sharp direction.” -Broadway World
"'Wolf Play' continues Wilbury Theatre Group's series of experimental productions that push the envelope of innovative storytelling.”– EDGE Providence
“A production as heartwarmingly comical as it is poignant and imaginative” -Motif Magazine
“Want something different and challenging? Go see WOLF PLAY at Wilbury”
-Warwick Beacon |
"Adoption, belonging, and finding your pack in ‘Wolf Play’ at Wilbury Theatre...The play centers on the story of a 6-year-old boy who was adopted from Korea by an American family who decide to rehome him after giving birth to a child."
- PREVIEW: Interview with Marcel Mascaró and Sara States on The Public's Radio
- PREVIEW: Interview with Marcel Mascaró and Sara States on The Public's Radio
ABOUT
WOLF PLAY
BY HANSOL JUNG
DIRECTED BY MARCEL A. MASCARO
WOLF PLAY
BY HANSOL JUNG
DIRECTED BY MARCEL A. MASCARO
When an online adoption process goes sideways, the young boy caught in the middle launches himself into a lone wolf’s journey to find a pack he can call his own. From South Korean playwright Hansol Jung, one of the most imaginative story tellers in the field, comes a wild new play employing puppetry, boxing, and crackling dialogue to tell the affecting story of trust, love, identity, and the families we choose and unchoose.
PRESS & MEDIA
"Adoption, belonging, and finding your pack in ‘Wolf Play’ at Wilbury Theatre...The play centers on the story of a 6-year-old boy who was adopted from Korea by an American family who decide to rehome him after giving birth to a child."
- PREVIEW: Interview w/ Marcel Mascaró and Sara States on The Public's Radio
"Jeenu’s story is a compelling one, as he learns to adjust to his new surroundings, chooses carefully when to speak aloud, and learns to connect more easily with Ash (the fighter) than with Robin (the pacifier). Marcel A. Mascaro’s clever, concise stage direction skillfully complements the script's overlapping dialogue, particularly with their remarkably effective use of haunting silhouette imagery...Wilbury Theatre Group’s ‘Wolf Play’ is original, engaging, thought-provoking theater with superb acting and sharp direction."
- Broadway World
"The production is as heartwarmingly comical as it is poignant, and imaginative to be sure. States/Wolf opens the play by saying, “Imagine I’m not an actor human. I am not what you think you see… I am the Wolf.” We hear these words echoed at the end, neatly tying it all together while reminding us all that life isn’t always fair, but we can hold onto our propensity to love, and the pack is stronger when it sticks together."
- Motif Magazine
"In an inspired act of imagination and playful theatricality, the playwright asks that the boy be portrayed as a puppet...operated by States, who is also tasked with offering a direct-address running narrative about the ways of wolves (“Wolves are cautious, the masters of survival.” “Wolves suck at being alone.”) to the audience. She is terrific....Jeenu being a puppet and, at times, physically manipulated by Peter, Robin, Ryan, and Ash, offers subtle commentary on the process of adoption and adds a certain poignancy to the production. And by having no discernible facial characteristics to express emotion, Peter’s pathetic expression of seller’s remorse to the boy he calls Junior, Robin’s failed efforts to break through to the boy, and Ryan’s inept attempts to talk sense into him become wonderful acting moments that ask the talented Ararat, Alianiello. and Lytle to do the heavy lifting in communicating Jeenu’s rejection and their characters’ frustration."
- Boston Globe
"At one point in the play she asks, “Do people do this?” While some of the dialogue and actions on the surface lead me to ask the same question, if I look at the play from all allegorical angles, I must conclude that they do. Want something different and challenging? Go see “Wolf Play” at Wilbury, playing through April 7."
- Warwick Beacon
“'Wolf Play' continues Wilbury Theatre Group's series of experimental productions that push the envelope of innovative storytelling....Sara States makes a sparkling debut as Wolf, and shares the child's inner thoughts as well as a running commentary about the lives of wolves. ("You are barely a breath in the space time continuum," Wolf says in the introduction.) It's a quirky concept which works, thanks to the talent of the performers and the imaginative direction by Marcel A. Mascaro."
- EDGE Providence
This production is presented with support from the Susan F. Gonsalves Charitable Fund,
and audience members like you.
PRESS & MEDIA
"Adoption, belonging, and finding your pack in ‘Wolf Play’ at Wilbury Theatre...The play centers on the story of a 6-year-old boy who was adopted from Korea by an American family who decide to rehome him after giving birth to a child."
- PREVIEW: Interview w/ Marcel Mascaró and Sara States on The Public's Radio
"Jeenu’s story is a compelling one, as he learns to adjust to his new surroundings, chooses carefully when to speak aloud, and learns to connect more easily with Ash (the fighter) than with Robin (the pacifier). Marcel A. Mascaro’s clever, concise stage direction skillfully complements the script's overlapping dialogue, particularly with their remarkably effective use of haunting silhouette imagery...Wilbury Theatre Group’s ‘Wolf Play’ is original, engaging, thought-provoking theater with superb acting and sharp direction."
- Broadway World
"The production is as heartwarmingly comical as it is poignant, and imaginative to be sure. States/Wolf opens the play by saying, “Imagine I’m not an actor human. I am not what you think you see… I am the Wolf.” We hear these words echoed at the end, neatly tying it all together while reminding us all that life isn’t always fair, but we can hold onto our propensity to love, and the pack is stronger when it sticks together."
- Motif Magazine
"In an inspired act of imagination and playful theatricality, the playwright asks that the boy be portrayed as a puppet...operated by States, who is also tasked with offering a direct-address running narrative about the ways of wolves (“Wolves are cautious, the masters of survival.” “Wolves suck at being alone.”) to the audience. She is terrific....Jeenu being a puppet and, at times, physically manipulated by Peter, Robin, Ryan, and Ash, offers subtle commentary on the process of adoption and adds a certain poignancy to the production. And by having no discernible facial characteristics to express emotion, Peter’s pathetic expression of seller’s remorse to the boy he calls Junior, Robin’s failed efforts to break through to the boy, and Ryan’s inept attempts to talk sense into him become wonderful acting moments that ask the talented Ararat, Alianiello. and Lytle to do the heavy lifting in communicating Jeenu’s rejection and their characters’ frustration."
- Boston Globe
"At one point in the play she asks, “Do people do this?” While some of the dialogue and actions on the surface lead me to ask the same question, if I look at the play from all allegorical angles, I must conclude that they do. Want something different and challenging? Go see “Wolf Play” at Wilbury, playing through April 7."
- Warwick Beacon
“'Wolf Play' continues Wilbury Theatre Group's series of experimental productions that push the envelope of innovative storytelling....Sara States makes a sparkling debut as Wolf, and shares the child's inner thoughts as well as a running commentary about the lives of wolves. ("You are barely a breath in the space time continuum," Wolf says in the introduction.) It's a quirky concept which works, thanks to the talent of the performers and the imaginative direction by Marcel A. Mascaro."
- EDGE Providence
This production is presented with support from the Susan F. Gonsalves Charitable Fund,
and audience members like you.
PRODUCTION PHOTOS
CAST + CREATIVE TEAM
Sara States*
WOLF 
Jeff Ararat
PETER 
Ellen Zahniser
ASH |
Beth Alianiello
ROBIN 
Teddy Lytle
RYAN |
WOLF PLAY
by Hansol Jung directed by Marcel A. Mascaró Costume Design, Dustin Thomas Sound + Light Design, Andy Russ Scenic Design, Shanel LaShay Smith Technical Direction, Dave Carney Stage Management, James Kane* Stage Management, Natalie Rosario Assistant Stage Management, Kerin Hagan Costume Assistant Arianna C. Davey Front of House Management by Christine Treglia Volunteer Management by Renee Bessette Production Photographer, Erin X. Smithers Press / Media Inquiries: Niki Healy, Bright Publicity |
*Appears courtesy Actors' Equity Association, the Union of Professional Actors and Stage Managers in the United States.
ABOUT THE ARTIST
Hansol Jung is a playwright from South Korea, whose work includes Wild Goose Dreams (The Public Theater, La Jolla Playhouse), Wolf Play (NNPN Rolling Premiere: Artists Rep, Mixed Blood, Company One), Cardboard Piano (Humana Festival at ATL), Among the Dead (Ma-Yi Theatre), and No More Sad Things (Sideshow, Boise Contemporary). Commissions from The Public Theater, La Jolla Playhouse, Seattle Repertory Theatre, National Theatre in UK, Playwrights Horizons, Artists Repertory Theater, Ma-Yi Theatre and Oregon Shakespeare Festival.
Her work has been developed at Royal Court, New York Theatre Workshop, Hedgebrook, Berkeley Repertory, Sundance Theatre Lab, O’Neill Theater Center, and the Lark. Hansol is the recipient of the Hodder Fellowship, Whiting Award, Helen Merrill Award, Page 73 Fellowship, Lark’s Rita Goldberg Fellowship, NYTW’s 2050 Fellowship, MacDowell Artist Residency, and International Playwrights Residency at Royal Court.
She is a proud member of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab, NYTW’s Usual Suspects, and The New Class of Kilroys. MFA: Yale.
Her work has been developed at Royal Court, New York Theatre Workshop, Hedgebrook, Berkeley Repertory, Sundance Theatre Lab, O’Neill Theater Center, and the Lark. Hansol is the recipient of the Hodder Fellowship, Whiting Award, Helen Merrill Award, Page 73 Fellowship, Lark’s Rita Goldberg Fellowship, NYTW’s 2050 Fellowship, MacDowell Artist Residency, and International Playwrights Residency at Royal Court.
She is a proud member of the Ma-Yi Writers Lab, NYTW’s Usual Suspects, and The New Class of Kilroys. MFA: Yale.
ABOUT
An award-winning*, not-for-profit professional theatre company, the Wilbury Theatre Group engages our community in thought-provoking conversation through new works, reimagined classics and adventurous playmaking. We are idealistic, ambitious, and stubborn in our resolve to create theatre that entertains, enlightens, and inspires.
*WINNER of the 2018 National Theatre Company Grant from the American Theatre Wing (The Tony Awards).
*WINNER of the 2018 National Theatre Company Grant from the American Theatre Wing (The Tony Awards).
