Photo Courtesy of Gas Lamp Players The Gas Lamp Teens will perform a one-act play Thursday, May 29, and Saturday, May 31, at 7 p.m. In photo, from top left, are Ellie Hudon, Sophia Schumann, Chloe Novoa; Aubrey Goldstein, Olivia Langton, Lola Zimet, Claire Liotta, Sophia Mekbeb and Char Pomerantz.
The Gas Lamp Teens will perform a one-act play Thursday, May 29, and Saturday, May 31, at 7 p.m. In photo, from top left, are Ellie Hudon, Sophia Schumann, Chloe Novoa; Aubrey Goldstein, Olivia Langton, Lola Zimet, Claire Liotta, Sophia Mekbeb and Char Pomerantz.
The Gas Lamp Teens will be performing “The Wolves,” a 90-minute play, Thursday, May 29, and Saturday, May 31, at 7 p.m. This one-act play, written by Sarah DeLappe, premiered Off-Broadway in 2016 and was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize the following year when it won an Obie Award for ensemble work.
The story takes place in an indoor soccer facility where nine high school girls, members of a soccer team, are revealed during pre-game warm-ups over six weeks/scenes. The show comes with a disclaimer and is not recommended for anyone below the age of 13 as it contains mature content. It was directed by Heather Ballantyne who spoke last week to this newspaper.
“I found this play before Covid and did two staged readings of it in 2018,” she said. “So, I’m familiar with it and love it. Part of that is because I played sports. But also, the conversations between the girls are melodic and you feel like a fly upon the wall.”
The dialogue, she said, discusses “various teenage girl stuff,” something the director found to be a refreshing change.
“When I was in high school, there never was a contemporary play where I would play someone my own age,” she said.
The girls are seen at the start of the season and their individual personalities develop into sub-plots. But there is drama embracing the whole team, competition between teammates and just plain growing up. And there is swearing in “The Wolves,” Ballantyne warns. Most of the cast are Glen Ridge residents with some girls from Montclair and Scotch Plains.
The show is scheduled for two non-consecutive performances when ordinarily it would have been three shows in a row. But the Friday performance would have been on the same date as the Glen Ridge High School Senior Prom. Possibly a Sunday matinee will be performed depending on ticket sales. The staging will be in the high school auditorium, a smaller venue than the Ridgewood Avenue School auditorium where Gas Lamp productions are generally performed.
There are nine characters in the play, all identified by the number on their jersey.
“It’s funny, they just talk, but at the end you find out some of their names,” Ballantyne said. “They really don’t need names. It’s the brilliance of the play. It makes you feel you’re part of a team. It’s an interesting device.”
Except for an appearance by a soccer mom, there are no adults in the show. Ballantyne liked that.
“It’s about teenage girls and their subculture,” she said. “Everything is covered, discussed and debated.”
Ballantyne also liked having the opportunity to direct a straight play again. Usually she presents musical fare and never has Gas Lamp offered a play for teens during the spring.
“I don’t get the opportunity to do a play,” she said. “My wheelhouse is plays. I do musicals, but I love directing plays. That’s my training. In this show: no singing, no dancing, and it’s been so much fun. ‘The Wolves’ is a show I love and wanted to revisit.”
One of the cast members is GRHS senior Lola Zimet. In the show she is #7. She described her Gas Lamp experience with this newspaper.
“Number 7 is kind of the mean girl in the play,” Lola said. “She curses a lot and thinks she knows everything about the world. But there are things that happen that she realizes she’s not so sure of herself. Part of this is because of her insecurity and part was because she wants to be in control. She’s the cool girl, the popular girl and wants a good reputation.”
There is conflict between Lola’s character and #46, the new girl who has been all over the world because her mother is a travel writer.
“She hasn’t stayed long in one place and hasn’t had the opportunity to make friends,” Lola said. “Number 7 and 46 play the same position and butt heads. Number 46 will say things innocently and won’t realize #7 is taking offense.”
Lola said the dialogue is accurate talk among teenage girls.
“There were sometimes during rehearsal breaks when we realized that what we were saying could have been in the play,” she said. “You feel the girls are just going about their lives. It doesn’t feel performative.”
Lola, who has been performing with Gas Lamp for eight years, said she has had a lot of fun with “The Wolves.”
“It’s different from what I’ve experienced before with musicals,” she said.
An entrance fee will be charged for the play.
About the Author
