Wolf Play
by Hansol Jung

Name: Wolf Play
Brand: Hansol Jung
SKU: 9780573709975
Rating: 4.22 (7 reviews)

Highlights

Female

Male

90 minsPresent DayRole(s) for Asian Actor(s)Unit Set/Multiple SettingsContemporary Costumes/Street Clothes

Awards & Recognition

Lucille Lortel Award

Winner! 2023 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play

Synopsis

A Korean boy is ushered into a new house by his adopted American father.

This new house belongs to an American boxer and her wife.

American father un-adopts boy by a single signature on a piece of paper.

But just before he leaves the new house, ex-father discovers that the new parents, to whom he has "re-homed" his ex-son, are a lesbian couple.

American ex-father spends the rest of the play trying to get the boy back.

In his corner is Ryan, the boxer's coach and her wife's brother.

Ryan doesn't like the new Korean boy, who is a bit weird.

Wolf Play is a messy, funny, disturbing theatrical experience grappling with a wolf, a puppet and the very prickly problem of “What is a family, and what do we need from families today?

Is it very different from what humans have needed from families before?”

Press Reviews

"A gorgeous, devastating play."
— New York Sun

"Thrilling... portrays a traumatic situation, but with an antic disposition and a goofy heart... there’s a lightness here that chases away the shadows."
— The New York Times

"Both moving and metaphorically adroit... among the many complications of the play, the doubling of adult actor and child puppet is one that absolutely works."
— WBUR, Boston

"Great theatre... Jung is in a class of her own. She wields language like a poet. Her lyrical, precise script perfectly captures our best and worst natures. The play simultaneously celebrates our extraordinary capacity for love, exposes our nastiest inclinations toward selfishness, and admonishes the injustices of our social systems."
— Broadway World

"Mischievous... grips you with both its facts and its fictions. Jung’s play is based on grim real-life experiences; The fantastical touch of the puppet and the Wolf... lightens the experience with humor... pulling you in emotionally so the punches land when your guard is down."
— Vulture

Characters

Character	Gender	Age	Description
Robin Female, 30s. Ash’s wife.	female	30s	Female, 30s. Ash’s wife.
Ryan Male, Early to mid 30s. Robin’s brother.	male	30s	Male, Early to mid 30s. Robin’s brother.
Peter Male, Late 30s. A father.	male	30s	Male, Late 30s. A father.
Wolf A mix of the familiar with the terribly unexpected.Author's notes: Cast should be racially diverse. WOLF should be of East Asian descent.	—	—	A mix of the familiar with the terribly unexpected.Author's notes: Cast should be racially diverse. WOLF should be of East Asian descent.
Ash Non-Binary, Late 20s. Southpaw Boxer.	—	20s	Non-Binary, Late 20s. Southpaw Boxer.