Wikipedia

Wolf Play

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Wolf Play is a comedic and dramatic stage play written by South Korean playwright Hansol Jung. The play debuted in 2019 at the Artists Repertory Theatre, and later off-Broadway as a co-production with MCC Theater, Ma-Yi Theatre Company and Soho Rep. The Off-Broadway production won the 2023 Lucille Lortel Award for Outstanding Play.[1]

Wolf Play
Show art for the Off-Broadway production in 2023.
Original languageEnglish
Written byHansol Jung
CharactersAsh
Robin
Ryan
Peter
Wolf
GenreComedy, Drama
Premiere
DateMarch 2019
PlaceArtists Repertory Theatre

The play tells the story of a Korean boy, portrayed as a puppet "Jeenu" and puppeteer "Wolf", the latter of whom acts as the boy's inner voice. Jeenu is brought to a new home by his adoptive American father, only to find that the household belongs to a female American boxer and her wife. As the play goes on, the guarded Jeenu gradually opens up to his new parents while his former adoptive father attempts to reclaim the boy.[2]

Plot

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"Wolf", the play's narrator, greets the audience with a monologue on the nature of theater and reality, before telling the audience to imagine he is a wolf, before revealing an Asian boy puppet. The puppet, whom Wolf operates, is revealed to be the adopted son of Peter, who has also named this child "Peter" after adopting him from Korea. Due to disagreements with his wife, the elder Peter has connected with Robin via an online forum to transfer custody of the child to her and her spouse. After arriving and signing the contract, however, Peter is incensed to learn Robin is married to another woman, Ash, protesting as he leaves that his son will not have a father. Despite her own reluctance to accept the adoption, Ash quickly connects with the boy, whose real name is Jeenu, after recognizing they share an aggressive spirit: Jeenu in imagining himself as a wolf (which the narrator "Wolf" represents as his inner voice, largely invisible to the other actors) and Ash's own background as a boxer.

Conflict arises within Jeenu's extended family as his new parents disagree over Jeenu's occasionally violent behavior, his reluctance to bond with Robin yet easy connection with Ash, and Peter's attempts to regain custody of Jeenu. Additionally, Robin's sister and Ash's trainer Ryan is suspicious of the boy and believes him a distraction from Ash's boxing career. Peter soon becomes friendly with Ryan and plants in his mind the idea that Ash and Robin are not fit to be parents. When Ash loses a boxing match due to being distracted by Jeenu trying to enter the ring, she declares her intention to Ryan to quit boxing to focus on raising him. Ryan tries to remove Jeenu from Ash's life by working with Peter to try to get the child back, eventually taking Robin and Ash to court, as the initial custody transfer was technically not legal. At the trial, Jeenu/Wolf initially cheers on Robin and Ash but soon becomes overwhelmed at the legal language that he does not understand, and when directly asked by the judge who he wants to have custody of him, he is unable to answer, with Wolf leaving the play.

In the aftermath, it is revealed that neither families got custody, and that Jeenu is to be taken by the state. The trial has had devastating consequences: it has destroyed Peter's own marriage, Ryan is now estranged from his sister, and Ash despondently tries to share a last breakfast with Jeenu on their last morning together. Robin makes one last attempt to connect with Jeenu, addressing the lifeless puppet by repeating Wolf's monologue back to it while assuring that she will fight to get him back with all her being. Wolf returns, drawn by her words, and Robin appears to see him for the first time.

Cast and characters

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Character Artists Repertory Theatre 2019[2] The Gift Theatre 2019[3][4] Company One Theatre 2020[5] Soho Rep 2022[6] Off-Broadway 2023[7]
Ash Tamera Lyn Isa Arciniegas Tonasia Jones Esco Jouléy
Robin Ayanna Berkshire Jennifer Glasse Inés de la Cruz Nicole Villamil
Ryan Vin Shambry Al’Jaleel McGhee Adrian Peguero Brian Quijada
Peter Chris Harder Tim Martin Greg Maraio Aubie Merrylees Christopher Bannow
Wolf Christopher Larkin Dan Lin Minh-Anh Day Mitchell Winter

Production history

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The show premiered at the Artists Repertory Theatre in Portland, Oregon on March 19, 2019 and ran through April 7, 2019, directed by Dámaso Rodríguez and starring Tamera Lyn, Ayanna Berkshire, Vin Shambry, Vin Shambry and Christopher Larkin. The show received acclaim, with BroadwayWorld calling it " one of the finest pieces of theatre (they've) ever seen."[8]

The show then opened in Chicago at The Gift Theatre, starring Isa Arciniegas, Jennifer Glasse, Al’Jaleel McGhee, Tim Martin and Dan Lin and directed by Jess McLeod.[9] It ran from July 18, 2019 through August 18, 2019, and garnered strong reviews, with Chicago On Stage calling it "fun, clever and original."[10]

Next, the show premiered in Boston at Company One Theatre, running January 30 to Feb 29, 2020 at Rabb Hall at Boston Public Library. The show featured Inés de la Cruz, Minh-Anh Day, Tonasia Jones, Adrian Peguero and Greg Maraio. The Boston Globe lauded the production as "moving and inventively on-point."[11]

Wolf Play was to have its New York premiere Off-Off Broadway at Soho Repertory Theatre in 2020, directed by Dustin Wills and starring Jin Ha as Wolf, but the production was shut down only a few days into technical rehearsals due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[12] Wolf Play eventually opened at Soho Rep in February 2022 in a co-production with Ma-Yi Theater Company, once again directed by Wills and starring Esco Jouléy, Nicole Vilamil, Brian Quijada, Aubie Merrylees, and Mitchell Winter. The production received critical acclaim, with The New York Times lauding the performances as "uniformly strong" and the play "thrilling."[13] The success of the production led to it transferring off-Broadway to MCC Theater, with most of the Soho Rep cast reprising their roles, save for Christopher Bannow taking Merrylees' role. It received similar acclaim, winning five Lucille Lortel Awards, including Outstanding Play,[1][14] and three Drama League Award nominations.[15] Playwright Hansol Jung was nominated for the Outer Critics Circle John Gassner Award for her writing.[16]

The play has since been performed regionally, including productions at American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, California[17] and Shotgun Players in Los Angeles, California.[18]

Awards and nominations

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2019 Chicago production

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Year Award Category Nominee Result Ref.
2019 Jeff Award Director – Play – Midsize Jess McLeod Nominated [19]
Sound Design – Midsize Eric Backus Nominated
Puppet Design Stephanie Diaz Nominated

2023 Off-Broadway production

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Year Award Category Work Result Ref.
2023 Drama Desk Award Outstanding Featured Performance in a Play Brian Quijada Nominated [20][21]
Drama League Award Outstanding Revival of a Play Nominated [22]
Outstanding Direction of a Play Dustin Wills Nominated
Distinguished Performance Esco Jouléy Nominated
Lucille Lortel Award Outstanding Play Won [1][14]
Outstanding Director Dustin Wills Won
Outstanding Ensemble Christopher Bannow, Esco Jouléy, Brian Quijada, Nicole Villamil, Mitchell Winter Won
Outstanding Scenic Design You-Shin Chen Won
Outstanding Lighting Design Barbara Samuels Nominated
Outstanding Sound Design Kate Marvin Won
Outer Critics Circle Award John Gassner Award Hansol Jung Nominated [23]

References

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  1. 1 2 3 Logan Culwell-Block (May 7, 2023). "Wolf Play, Titaníque Lead 2023 Lucille Lortel Awards; See the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Retrieved September 18, 2025.
  2. 1 2 "Wolf Play". Artists Repertory Theatre. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  3. ↑ The Gift Theatre. Wolf Play, Chicago premiere (cast included ensemble member Jennifer Glasse with Isa Arciniegas, Dan Lin, Tim Martin, and Al’Jaleel McGhee). July–August 2019. Reviewed/announced in Chicago theatre press. https://www.broadwayworld.com/chicago/article/Casting-Announced-For-The-Gift-Theatres-WOLF-PLAY-20190510
  4. ↑ Boland, Ann (July 18, 2019). "Gift Theatre Presents WOLF PLAY Review – Layers of Compelling Drama". Picture This Post. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  5. ↑ Company One Theatre. *Wolf Play* by Hansol Jung, directed by Summer L. Williams, Rabb Hall @ Boston Public Library, Boston. Jan 30 – Feb 29 2020. https://companyone.org/wolf-play/
  6. ↑ "Wolf Play". Soho Rep. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  7. ↑ MCC Theater. *Wolf Play*, Robert W. Wilson MCC Theater Space, Off‑Broadway production (January 26 – April 2 2023), starring Christopher Bannow, Esco Jouléy, Brian Quijada, Nicole Villamil, and Mitchell Winter. https://mcctheater.org/tix/wolf-play/
  8. ↑ Garver, Krista (March 19, 2019). "Review: Artists Rep Scores a Knockout with World Premiere of Hansol Jung's WOLF PLAY". BroadwayWorld. BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  9. ↑ "Wolf Play". The Gift Theatre. The Gift Theatre. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  10. ↑ Topham, Karen (July 16, 2019). "The Gift's "Wolf Play" Is Fun, Clever and Original, But Ooh That Ending! (No Spoilers Here)". Chicago on Stage. ChicagoOnStage.com. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  11. ↑ Price, Philip A. (February 21, 2020). "What's Happening in the Local Arts World". The Boston Globe. Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  12. ↑ Krane, Daniel (March 22, 2020). "The Night the Lights Went Off Off-Broadway". American Theatre. Retrieved May 21, 2026.
  13. ↑ Kumar, Naveen (February 16, 2022). "'Wolf Play' Review: A Play About Family That Howls With Truth". The New York Times. The New York Times. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  14. 1 2 Logan Culwell-Block (April 5, 2023). "Wolf Play Leads 2023 Lucille Lortel Award Nominations; Read the Complete List of Nominees". Playbill. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
  15. ↑ "See the Full List of 2023 Drama League Award Nominations," *Playbill*, April 25, 2023. Retrieved from https://playbill.com/article/see-the-full-list-of-2023-drama-league-award-nominations
  16. ↑ "Some Like It Hot Dominates 2023 Outer Critics Circle Awards; See the Full List of Winners," *Playbill*, April 23, 2023. Retrieved from https://playbill.com/article/some-like-it-hot-dominates-2023-outer-critics-circle-awards-see-the-full-list-of-winners
  17. ↑ “Wolf Play (2022‑23)”, *ACT Theatre History* (ACT Theatre production history), accessed April 4, 2026, https://acttheatrehistory.org/Productions/Wolf2023d
  18. ↑ “Wolf Play,” Shotgun Players archive (tickets.shotgunplayers.org), accessed April 4, 2026, https://tickets.shotgunplayers.org/Online/default.asp?BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::permalink=wolf-play-archive&BOparam::WScontent::loadArticle::context_id=
  19. ↑ "The 51st Equity Jeff Awards". Around the Town Chicago. October 21, 2019. Retrieved April 4, 2026.
  20. ↑ "2023 Awards – Nominees and Recipients". Drama Desk. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
  21. ↑ Logan Culwell-Block (May 31, 2023). "Some Like It Hot Dominates 2023 Drama Desk Awards; See the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Retrieved September 22, 2025.
  22. ↑ "2023 Drama League Award Winners Announced". New York Theatre Guide. Retrieved October 5, 2025.
  23. ↑ Culwell-Block, Logan (May 16, 2023). "Some Like It Hot Dominates 2023 Outer Critics Circle Awards; See the Full List of Winners". Playbill. Retrieved September 21, 2025.
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