Directors’ Note

Bringing nine young women onto the stage together is still a radical act. In Sarah DeLappe’s extraordinary play about American exceptionalism, their voices and bodies own the turf as they face a time in adolescence when their future is on the line and the complexities of the larger world start to fracture their air dome. Life is no longer as binary as they thought. This play is brutally honest and we have tried to honour that as we started each rehearsal day in a circle to share where we were at meeting the work before us. The scenes demand the actors learn soccer stretches, drills and tricks and execute them while speaking overlapping and simultaneous dialogue. It makes for a thrilling, layered ride for us who get to enter their pre-game world. We also baked for each other, danced together, did Covid tests together, and became a team. 

We are forever grateful for the rigor and love that each wolf brought to each day, and to our larger team of coaches: Gillian, our soccer consultant, Kate & Corey, stage management team, designers Rachel, Julia, Tim & Jesse, technical director, Tibeau, and production manager, Annalise. Thanks to our amazing Geordie and Imago teams, who have come together to build this co-production so seamlessly, and to The Segal Centre, who has given us the perfect space to pass the ball in. 

Mahihkanak is the Plains Cree word for Wolves. In Cree culture, the Wolf holds powerful medicine and symbolizes courage, intelligence, strength, loyalty, and skill in hunting. As Mahihkanak, our cast carries the wolf’s spirit, bringing this powerful energy to you. 

We thank you, our audience, for joining us on this journey and for being part of our pack tonight.

Krista & Jimmy