Yearly Archives: 2019

Becky Williams as 8, Kennedy Florence as 13, Olivia Pletcher as 2, Lily Dennstaedt as 14, Liv Hardy as 46, Victoria Forbes as 11, Lauren Davidson as 00, Holland Taylor as 25, & Gigi Relic as 7.

Helmed by HAMILTON tour resident director Tiffany Nichole Greene
with sets by Paul Shortt

(CINCINNATI, Nov. 8, 2019) – Xavier University continues its 2019-20 season with one of the nation’s most-produced shows this year, Sarah DeLappe’s The Wolves. The play, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, runs for two weekends from Nov. 15 to 23 in Xavier’s Gallagher Student Center Theater.

Left quad. Right quad. Lunge. A girl’s indoor soccer team warms up. From the safety of their suburban stretch circle, the team navigates big questions and wages tiny battles with the vim and vigor of a pack of adolescent warriors. The Wolves is a portrait of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for nine American girls who just want to score some goals.

Director Tiffany Nichole Greene is elated to be working with the Xavier theatre program for a second time, having previously directed the world premiere production of Cannibal Galaxy in 2017. Originally from Houston, Greene now splits her time as the resident director of the Philip Tour of Hamilton and as a freelance director in theatres across America. She is a proud member of SDC whose recent work includes Boudica (Guthrie Theater); A Christmas Carol (Dallas Theater Center); The Danger: A Homage to Strange Fruit (JACK Brooklyn); Between Riverside and Crazy (SpeakEasy Stage); Well-Intentioned White People (Barrington Stage); Les Liaisons Dangereuses (Theatre Three); A Raisin in the Sun (Triad Stage); and Skeleton Crew (Trinity Rep).

“At first glance, The Wolves could easily be perceived as a play about bratty teen girls, but that would be incorrect. And that doesn’t interest me,” says the show’s director, Tiffany Greene. “There are three central ideas that I found to be powerful and used as the baseline in my direction: this play skillfully explores the ways in which we pollute our most sacred spaces; it artfully articulates the effects fear and insecurity have on the ways in which we connect or reach out; and it leaves us clear about one thing- a sacred space is not to be confused with a protected one… no one is exempt.”

“We are ecstatic to have Tiffany directing for us again,” said Stephen Skiles, director of Xavier University Theatre. “She was the perfect person to work on this physical, important, dynamic piece of theatre. The fact that she stepped away from Hamilton to work with us says a lot about the dedication of our students. I can’t wait for audiences to see the nuance, energy and commitment that Tiffany gets from these young performers.”

The cast for The Wolves features first-year students Kennedy Florence and Becky Williams; sophomores Lauren Davidson, Victoria Forbes, Olivia Hardy and Olivia Pletcher; juniors Tina Boffa and Holland Taylor; and seniors Lilly Dennstaedt and Gigi Relic. Understudies are first-year student Emily Bruns, sophomore Connie Kavensky and senior Emily Jorgensen.

In addition to Greene, other members of the creative team include Paul Shortt (set designer), Jessica Pitcairn (costume designer), Joe Beumer (lighting designer) and Tatum Mann (sound designer). Support is provided by Stephen Skiles (producer), Amara Shroba (soccer coach) and Joe Leonard (technical director). The stage manager is senior Emi Suarez, and assistant stage managers are first-year student Lillian Reynolds and junior Katherine Ivins.

Performances take place in the Gallagher Student Center Theater at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 15, 16, 21, 22 and 23 and 2:00 p.m. on Nov. 16. Tickets for The Wolves are available now through the Xavier University Theatre Box Office. They are $18 each for adults and $13 each for students, as well as Xavier faculty and staff. To purchase tickets, visit www.xavier.edu/theatretickets or call 513-745-3939.

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