Cast Announced for THE WOLVES at Goodman Theatre

Game on! The Chicago premiere of Sarah DeLappe's The Wolves, a "smart, hilarious, delightful meditation on society, sex and soccer" (The Village Voice), directed by Vanessa Stalling, launches Goodman Theatre's 2018 Owen Theatre season. A 2017 Pulitzer Prize finalist, The Wolves follows a suburban girls soccer team as they navigate life's big questions and wage their own tiny battles-with all the "bark and bite" (Vulture.com) of a pack of adolescent warriors. Hailed as "one of the year's best plays" (The New York Times), The Wolves is DeLappe's break-out play that recently concluded an off-Broadway run at Lincoln Center Theater. Stalling directs the Chicago premiere with an all-Chicago company. The Wolves appears February 9 - March 11, 2018 (opening night is Tuesday, February 20 at 7pm) in Goodman Theatre's 350-seat flexible Owen Theatre. Tickets ($10 - $47; subject to change) are available at GoodmanTheatre.org/TheWolves,by phone at 312.443.3800 or at the box office (170 N. Dearborn). Mayer Brown LLP is the Corporate Sponsor Partner and Russell Reynolds Associates is the Contributing Sponsor.

"I couldn't wish for a better home for the Chicago premiere of The Wolves than Goodman Theatre," said Sarah DeLappe. "The staff have been endlessly supportive, and it's an honor to work with Vanessa; she's absolutely brilliant, and possesses a keen understanding of both the psychology of these adolescent characters and the theatrical demands of the physical task of the play. She's assembled a remarkable cast and creative team, and I can't wait for audiences to see what they make together."

Working with soccer skill building coach Katie Berkopec, each actor learned a series of real soccer drills and incorporated synchronized warm-ups-including squats, jumping jacks, quads, hamstrings, butterfly and more-in preparation for their role.The cast features team members Angela Alise as #00, goalie; Isa Arciniegas as #25, captain; Taylor Blim as #2, defense; Natalie Joyce as #7, striker; Cydney Moody as #8, defense; Erin O'Shea as #46, bench; Sarah Price as #11, midfield; Aurora Real de Asua as #14, mid-field; Mary Tilden as #13, mid-field; and rounding out the cast is Meighan Gerachis as the Soccer Mom.

The creative team features designers who will transform the Goodman's 350 seat-flexible Owen Theatre into an indoor soccer field complete with AstroTurf, plexiglas, fans and fluorescents-including Collette Pollard (Sets), Noël Huntzinger (Costumes), Keith Parham (Lights) and Mikhail Fiksel (Sound). Nikki Blue is the Production Stage Manager.

"Acting in an ensemble cast on stage is not that different from playing on a soccer team," said director Vanessa Stalling, a former Michael Maggio Directing Fellow at Goodman Theatre, who makes her Goodman directing debut. "They're communities formed in order to carry each other through to an end goal. However, actors will definitely be working at a different level with this play because of its physical challenges, so everyone is going to be rooting for each other. Chicago is filled with amazing, talented women, so it's super exciting that this production is providing the opportunity for so many young women to move into a next phase of their careers."

TICKETS, DISCOUNTS AND SPECIAL EVENTS

Tickets ($10-$47) - GoodmanTheatre.org/TheWolves; 312.443.3800; Fax: 312.443.3825; TTY/TDD: 312.443.3829

Box Office Hours -12noon - 5pm; on performance days, the box office remains open until 30 minutes past curtain

MezzTix - Half-price day-of-performance mezzanine tickets available at 10am online (promo code MEZZTIX)
$10Tix - Student $10 advance tickets; limit four, with valid student ID (promo code 10TIX)

Group Sales are available for parties 10+; 312.443.3820
Gift Certificates - Available in any amount ; GoodmanTheatre.org/GiftCertificates

The Wolves is a participating production in Chicago Theatre Week (February 8-18); use promo code CTW18Wolves for specially discounted tickets. Theatre Week is coordinated through the League of Chicago Theaters and offers discounted tickets to 100 different productions throughout Chicago in one week. Visi t ChicagoTheatreWeek.com for more information.

COLLEGE NIGHT - February 15 at 6pm | Goodman Theatre

Tickets are $10 using code COLLEGE; includes dinner and performance. Students enjoy a pre-show pizza reception with fellow theater-lovers and cast Members, followed by the 7:30pm performance.GoodmanTheatre.org/CollegeNight

ARTIST ENCOUNTER -February 18 at 5pm | Goodman Theatre

Tickets are $10 for general public; free for Goodman Members. Join the director for an in-depth conversation about the play. GoodmanTheatre.org/TheWolves

YOUNG PROFESSIONALS EVENT: PARTY WITH THE PACK - February 22 at 7:30pm | Goodman Theatre.

Tickets are $35. Join Goodman Theatre's Scenemakers Board and other young professionals from around Chicago for a performance of The Wolves and post-show mix-and-mingle with the cast over complimentary bites and cocktails. GoodmanTheatre.org/Party

WOMEN'S NIGHT: STRONG GOALS, STRONGER WOMEN: "BRING YOUR PACK" - February 27 at 5:30pm | Petterino's

Tickets are $75. Join Goodman Theatre for an evening of cocktails, dinner and networking, followed by the 7:30pm performance of The Wolves. GoodmanTheatre.org/WomensNight

Audiences can save more with Goodman Theatre's new MEMBERSHIP initiative. Audiences choose from three levels to suit their preferences, including Classic, 6-play, 4-play or 2-play packages; Choice, a personalized package that can include both Owen and Albert productions; and Whenever-the ultimate flexible package, to be used at any time during the season. All Goodman members receive unlimited ticket exchanges, discounted parking, 15% savings at the Goodman bar and gift shop, restaurant discounts and more. To purchase a Membership visit GoodmanTheatre.org or call the Box Office at 312.443.3800.

ACCESSIBILITY AT THE GOODMAN

Touch Tour, March 4 at 2pm - A presentation detailing the set, costume and character elements

Audio Described Performance, March 4 at 2pm - The action/text is audibly enhanced for patrons via headset

ASL Interpreted Performance, March 10 at 2pm - Professional ASL interpreter signs the action/text as played

Open Captioned Performance, March 11 at 2pm - An LED sign presents dialogue in sync with the performance
Visit Goodman Theatre.org/Access for more information about Goodman Theatre's accessibility efforts.

ABOUT THE ARTISTS

At age 26, while still in graduate school at Brooklyn College, Sarah DeLappe earned a spot among the 2017 Pulitzer Prize finalists for her debut play, which after its New York premiere at Playwrights Realm received two encore presentations due to popular demand. She was a recipient of the American Playwriting Foundation's inaugural Relentless Award and a finalist for the 2016 Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. She has been a resident artist at Sitka Fellows Program and SPACE on Ryder Farm and was a 2016/2017 Page One playwright at the Playwrights Realm. An alum of Clubbed Thumb's Early Career Writers Group, she is currently a member of the Ars Nova Play Group and the New Georges Audrey Residency. She received an EST/Sloan commission and a spot on The Kilroys' 2015 List.

Vanessa Stalling (Director) returns to Goodman Theatre, where she was the 2016/2017 Michael Maggio Directing Fellow, during which she directed the New Stages Festival performance of Kirsten Greenidge's And Moira Spins and the Playwrights Unit reading of Jenni Lamb's Messina. Stalling adapted and directed United Flight 232 from Laurence Gonzales' Flight 232 at The House Theatre of Chicago, which won Jeff Awards for Best Production - Play - Midsize and Ensemble, and was included in Chicago Tribune's "Top 10 Productions in 2016." She also recently directed Matthew Lopez's The Legend of Georgia McBride at Northlight Theatre. Stalling is also known for her work as an artist of Redmoon Theater. While at Redmoon, she enjoyed performing, directing and serving as associate artistic director. Redmoon directing credits include a remount of The Cabinet (which toured Brazil as part of the FILO Festival), Winter Pageant, Princess Club, Twilight Orchard and roaming performances for President Obama's White House Halloween Celebrations. Ms. Stalling is also an instructor at Columbia College and University of Chicago.

Angela Alise (#00) makes her Goodman Theatre debut. Chicago credits include The House That Will Not Stand (Victory Gardens Theater), Saturday Night/Sunday Morning (Prologue Theatre at Steppenwolf Garage Rep), Hairspray (Drury Lane Theatre), Heaven How I Got Here and The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey(Provision Theater), How We Got On (Haven Theatre), The Wiz (Kokandy Productions), Parade (Boho Theatre), Coming Home (Erasing the Distance, where she is an ensemble member) and understudying The Good Book(Court Theatre), Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and Mr. Chickee's Funny Money (Chicago Children's Theatre) and The Velveteen Rabbit (Marriott Theatre). Regional credits include Black Side of the Moon andNothing to Lose But Our Chains (The Second City at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company) and Almost Accurate Guide to America (The Second City at The Kennedy Center). She holds a BA in theater from Loyola University Chicago and is represented by Gray Talent Group.

Isa Arciniegas (#25) makes her Goodman Theatre debut. Chicago credits include Fun Home (Victory Gardens Theater), We're Gonna Die (Haven Theatre Company), good friday (Oracle Productions, Jeff Award nomination for Best Ensemble), You On The Moors Now and American Idiot (The Hypocrites), The Fly Honey Show VIII (The Inconvenience), Adventures With Aladdin (Lookingglass Theatre Company with Chicago Symphony Orchestra) and Stinky Cheese Man and Letters Home (Griffin Theatre and national tour). She received her BFA in acting from the Chicago College of Performing Arts at Roosevelt University.

Taylor Blim (#2) makes her Goodman Theatre debut. Chicago credits include The Crucible and Mary Page Marlowe (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Love's Labor's Lost (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Sucker Punch (Victory Gardens Theatre); Grizzly Mama (Rivendell Theatre Ensemble); A Christmas Carol (Drury Lane Theatre); Assassins, Gruesome Playground Injuries, Anna Bella Eema and Video Galaxy (The Theatre School at DePaul University). Film and television credits include Chicago Med, Forever, The Disposal, The Year That Changed Us and They Wake Up.

Meighan Gerachis (Soccer Mom) returns to the Goodman, where she previously appeared in A Christmas Caroland the New Stages production of Blue Skies Process. Chicago credits include Domesticated, Our Town and The House on Mango Street (Steppenwolf Theatre Company); Seven Homeless Mammoths Wander New England (Theater Wit); Solstice (A Red Orchid Theater); Firebirds Take the Field; The Electric Baby; Precious Little; The Walls; Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue; Indulgences at the Louisville Harem; Factory Girls; My Simple City; Wrens and Ten Tiny Fingers, Nine Tiny Toes (Rivendell Theatre Ensemble); Measure for Measure (Chicago Shakespeare Theater); Cloud Nine (About Face Theatre); Cigarettes and Moby Dick and Che Che Che (Latino Chicago); The Underpants (Noble Fool Theatricals) and The Road to Graceland (Lifeline Theatre). Regional and international credits include Charm (Mixed Blood Theatre); Elliot, A Soldier's Fugue (Stageworks) and A Midsummer Night's Dream (Contact Theatre in Manchester, England). Film credits include Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice, At Any Price and Virginia. Television credits include Chicago P.D., Crisis, Bobby & Iza, Sirens and Battleground.

Natalie Joyce (#7) makes her Goodman Theatre debut. Chicago credits include understudying in Born Yesterday (Remy Bumppo Theatre Company), Deirdre of the Sorrows (City Lit Theater Company), Mary Shelley Sees the Future (Runaways Lab Theatre) and For Annie (The Sound). Regional Credits include Sleeping Beauty, Luna Gale and Love and Information (Ensemble Theatre Cincinnati). Joyce is a graduate of the Ensemble Theatre Acting Apprenticeship and received her BA in theater from Penn State University.

Cydney Moody (#8) makes her Goodman Theatre debut. Chicago credits include the Mary Page Marlowe workshop (Steppenwolf Theatre Company) and she is a company member of The Comrades, where she has appeared in Mary Kate Olsen is in Love, Prelude to a Kiss and was the movement director for Bob: A Life in Five Acts. She has also worked with The Little Things Theatre in The Two Gentlemen of Veronaand Chekhovs' Seven Short Farces. She has studied Folio I at Chicago Shakespeare Theater and graduated from Illinois State University with a Bachelor's of Science. She is represented by Stewart Talent.

Erin O'Shea (#46) makes her Goodman debut. Previous Chicago credits include The Hundred Dresses(Chicago Children's Theatre), Private Lives (Metropolis Performing Arts Center), Lyle Finds His Mother (Lifeline Theatre), The Other Cinderella (Black Ensemble Theater), The Student Prince (Evanston Light Opera Works), Little Women The Musical (Night Blue Performing Arts Company), Stage Door and No More Dead Dogs (Griffin Theatre), Jake's Women (Citadel Theatre), The Rocky Horror Show (Awkward Pause Theatre) and For Annie(The Sound). Regionally, she performed at Actors Theatre of Louisville and American Repertory Theater in H.M.S. Pinafore (The Hypocrites). On camera, she has appeared in various independent films, such as No Resolution (produced by Tim Kasher) and Older Children (Wild Mouse Film Productions), as well as in a number of short films and web series. She is represented by Stewart Talent.

Sarah Price (#11) returns to the Goodman, where she previously appeared in the New Stages Festival production of Carlyle. Other Chicago credits include Earthquakes in London (Steep Theatre Company), You On The Moors Now (The Hypocrites), Mai Dang Lao (Sideshow Theatre), The Sweeter Option (Strawdog Theatre Company), Solstice (A Red Orchid Theatre), Northanger Abbey (Remy Bumppo Theatre Company) and Monstrous Regiment (Lifeline Theatre). Regional credits include A Midsummer Night's Dream (Indiana Repertory Theatre). Television credits include Chicago Fire. She is a graduate of The Theatre School at DePaul University, the Improv Training Program at iO and Second City's Conservatory. She is also a company member with A Crew of Patches, performing Shakespeare for high school students in the city and suburbs. She is represented by Grossman & Jack Talent.

Aurora Real De Asua (#14) makes her Goodman debut. Chicago credits include You On the Moors Now with The Hypocrites, Firebirds Take the Field with Rivendell Theatre Ensemble and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead with Metropolis Performing Arts Center. Additional credits include understudying Chicago Shakespeare Theater in the Parks' Twelfth Night. She is represented by Gray Talent.

Mary Tilden (#13) makes her Goodman Theatre debut. Chicago credits include Hookman (Steep Theatre Company), The Arrow Cracks (The Neo-Futurists), A Midsummer Night's Dream (Two Pence Theatre) and Much Ado About Nothing (The Arc Theatre). She performs weekly with the iO Chicago improv team Devil's Daughter and is a company member and teaching artist with Barrel of Monkeys.

ABOUT Goodman Theatre

AMERICA'S "BEST REGIONAL THEATRE" (Time magazine), Goodman Theatre is a premier not-for-profit organization distinguished by the excellence and scope of its artistic programming and civic engagement. Led by Artistic Director Robert Falls and Executive Director Roche Schulfer, the theater's artistic priorities include new play development (more than 150 world or American premieres), large scale musical theater works and reimagined classics (celebrated revivals include Falls' productions of Death of a Salesman and The Iceman Cometh). Goodman Theatre artists and productions have earned two Pulitzer Prizes, 22 Tony Awards, over 160 Jeff Awards and many more accolades. In addition, the Goodman is the first theater in the world to produce all 10 plays in August Wilson's "American Century Cycle" and its annual holiday tradition A Christmas Carol, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this season, has created a new generation of theatergoers. The Goodman also frequently serves as a production partner with local off-Loop theaters and national and international companies by providing financial support or physical space for a variety of artistic endeavors.

Committed to three core values of Quality, Diversity and Community, the Goodman proactively makes inclusion the fabric of the institution and develops education and community engagement programs that support arts as education. This practice uses the process of artistic creation to inspire and empower youth, lifelong learners and audiences to find and/or enhance their voices, stories and abilities. The Goodman's Alice Rapoport Center for Education and Engagement is the home of such programming, most offered free of charge, and has vastly expanded the theater's ability to touch the lives of Chicagoland citizens (with 85% of youth participants coming from underserved communities) since its 2016 opening.

Goodman Theatre was founded by William O. Goodman and his family in honor of their son Kenneth, an important figure in Chicago's cultural renaissance in the early 1900s. The Goodman family's legacy lives on through the continued work and dedication of Kenneth's family, including Albert Ivar Goodman, who with his late mother, Edith-Marie Appleton, contributed the necessary funds for the creation of the new Goodman center in 2000.

Today, Goodman Theatre leadership also includes the distinguished members of the Artistic Collective: Brian Dennehy, Rebecca Gilman, Henry Godinez, Dael Orlandersmith, Steve Scott, Chuck Smith, Regina Taylor,Henry Wishcamper and Mary Zimmerman. David W. Fox, Jr. is Chair of Goodman Theatre's Board of Trustees, Cynthia K. Scholl is Women's Board President and Justin A. Kulovsek is President of the Scenemakers Board for young professionals.

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