Theatre503’s forthcoming production Wolfie is a fantastical fairytale about twins separated at birth and poses the question of who is responsible for society’s most vulnerable children.
Playwright Ross Willis is one of the 503Five resident playwrights. He is also a member of the Orange Tree Writers’ Collective and the BBC Writersroom. He has been awarded the inaugural Royal Court and Kudos Writing Fellowship award.
In the play one twin is raised by a wolf and the other by a depressed woman who is called the ‘soggy woman’ in the play as she sits in the bath and never gets out.
Ross Willis’ inspiration for Wolfie comes from his desire to show how incredibly hard it is for children to survive without a parent. He has used childhood fairytales to illustrate lost childhood.
Ross said: “I wanted to write about care leavers and when you leave care how it affects your entire being, your relationships, the way you see yourself and the way that people see you.”
Director Lisa Spirling said: “Wolfie is an incredibly entertaining play that explores depression, neglect, families, loss, grief, joy, companion and friendship. It is aimed at an audience of age 14 plus.”
Actresses Erin Doherty (who plays Princess Anne in the approaching Netflix hit The Crown) and Sophie Melville (who received The Stage Award for acting excellence in Iphigenia in Splott) tell a story of childhood, friendship and sisterhood and what it is to become a grown up and become ready for independent human living and exist in the real world.
Lisa said: “They are two of the finest actresses of their generation, they love the play and really connect to it.”
Wolfie is a play that is likely to make the audience experience a variety of emotions. Ross Willis said: “Wolfie is a play that will make you puke and then roll around laughing.”
Lisa said: “Wolfie is a fantastical fairytale that is tapping into themes of what it is to grow up in the care system. The play illustrates that there is something resilient, extraordinary, beautiful and hopeful about young people who have raised themselves.”
Wolfie is showing at Theatre503 from 20 March – 13 April 2019.
Theatre503 proudly has a ‘Pay What You Can’ scheme for all their Saturday matinees and also offers SW11 residents two £2 tickets for their first visit.
Feature image credit: Helen Murray
