‘The Wolves’ And ‘The Laramie Project’ to Open at Downtown Theatre Center

Penn State Centre Stage’s Off Centre productions of “The Wolves” and “The Laramie Project” will be performed in rotation at the Penn State Downtown Theatre Center starting on Tuesday.

“The Wolves,” written by Sarah DeLappe in 2016, tells the story of nine high school girls on an indoor soccer team. Dealing with issues from simple gossip to anxiety disorders, the play covers a lot of ground through the minds of young girls during a pivotal moment in their lives.

Taylor Kellar, a member of “The Wolves” cast, says the play is so successful because of how similar it is to real life.

“Every time I’m in rehearsal, I realize how much I’m similar to each individual character,” Kellar said. “Even though it’s about a girl’s indoor soccer team, I think everyone can pick at least one moment in the show that they think, ‘Hey, so I’m not the only one whose had that happen to them.’”

“The Wolves” won the American Playwriting Foundation’s inaugural Relentless Award, the 2017 Obie Award, and was a finalist for the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

“If you’re open to it and allow yourself to really engage with us on stage, you’re in for a real treat of theater,” Kellar said.

The second show in the rotation is Moisés Kaufman’s “The Laramie Project,” written in 2000. It is a true story that focuses on the response to the 1998 murder of Matthew Shepard in Laramie, Wyo. The play is not only inspired by true events, but every line came directly from interviews around the town.

Shepard was a gay student at the University of Wyoming, and the play revolves around how this small town deals with discussion between homophobia and the support of a lost loved one. Featuring moments from the Westboro Baptist Church and the trials of Shepard’s attacker, this important piece of theatre offers an inside look into a revolutionary moment in LGBT equality and recognition.

You can see “The Wolves,” directed by Julie Foh, at the Downtown Theatre Center Tuesday, Tuesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. with a final performance on Saturday at 2 p.m. “The Laramie Project” directed by Steve Snyder and Wendell Franklin, will perform Wednesday, Friday and Saturday all at 7:30 p.m. Tickets, which are $8.50, can be purchased here for “The Wolves” and here for “The Laramie Project.”