SHEWOLVES: the female and non-binary teenager-led coming-of-age comedy with bite

Following a stellar Edinburgh Fringe run in 2022 where it was named one of the best shows of the year (The Stage), SHEWOLVES brings its major UK tour of theatres, schools and community venues to The Wardrobe Theatre on May 14.

Written by Sarah Middleton and directed by Hannah Stone, this uplifting and empowering play is about “forging friendships when you’re a bit weird, the power of hope and the underestimated smartness of teens”.

At the centre of the story, Priya (Gurjot Dhaliwal) and Lou (Harriet Waters) are would-be climate activist teenagers on a covert expedition into the wild, armed with a rucksack full of poptarts and a hunger for change.

SHEWOLVES – photo: Julian Hughes

The play is the first project from Middleton and Stone’s SHEWOLVES Productions, which exists to make new writing that centres “complex women who have agency within their lives”.

A participatory project called WOLFPACK runs alongside much of the tour, putting the voices of 13-19 year old girls and non-binary people centre stage in workshops that help them to explore the ideas that most matter to them.

SHEWOLVES – photo: Julian Hughes

Mirroring the characters of Priya and Lou, who are able to support each other in difficult moments and undercut heaviness with humour, Stone points out the common value of a light touch when handling weighty issues.

So while the participants in WOLFPACK sessions have a lot going on within their lives, at home and school their priority is always to have fun and find some escape.

Photo: Pamela Raith

The feedback to both projects from young people has been hugely positive, not least in seeing their own stories represented on stage – in many cases – for the first time.

“We’ve both worked with young people for a long time and we’d noticed a lack of plays that were specifically for teens,” Middleton reflects. “We want to address that and offer something that’s specifically for teenagers; that represents them in a celebratory and empowering way.”

Photo: Pamela Raith

“As a feminist, I believ that the way women are able to become equal within Society is influenced by the way we tell stories,” says Stone. “So for me, it’s always been important to give young peoplle a voice and show audiences that girls can and should drive the narrative both within stories and within the real world.”

In creating the production, the team worked with drama therpaist Kath Akers, to make sure the more challenging themes in WOLFPACK weren’t made too explicit as to be uncomfortable.

Photo: Pamela Raith

“We don’t want to preach to our audiences,” explains Middleton.

“Young people already know that the world is expecting them to solve climate change, which is a very heavy reality – so we wanted to focus instead on finding a positive story to tell, exploring friendship, activism and the humour that comes with teenage life.”

SHEWOLVES (age recommendation 12+) is at The Wardrobe Theatre on May 14 at 7.30pm. Tickets are available at www.thewardrobetheatre.com.

Main photo: Julian Hughes

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