Different stages

With the help of a 1960s super group, Maria Wolf got the chance to tap into her creative energies at a very early age.

She fondly remembers performing in front of a delighted crowd of nuns at St. Anthony’s convent in Delaware, while visiting her aunt there, at the tender age of 3.

Her song of choice? None other than Peter, Paul and Mary’s 1963 smash, Puff the Magic Dragon.

"I would sing for all of them at the top of my little lungs," recalls Wolf.

Some 38 years later, at age 41, she still has the same zest for performing. But this time, the native of the 2600 block of South Hicks Street plans to reach a wider audience.

As co-founder of Isis Productions, Wolf says she hopes to tap into the hidden yet valuable resources that smaller theater companies have to offer.

"Small theater companies aren’t given any attention," she says. "They are a real area of growth for actors trying to make it in the city."

Through her year-old company, Wolf also has found a creative outlet that even she can utilize. She is currently performing in Isis’ production of Vita and Virginia at the Walnut Street Theatre’s Studio Five.

Last year, she also took part in the company’s rendition of the Emmy-award-winning play, Voices.

"The play was a woman’s play," describes Wolf. "It was a monologue of five different women in five different stages of life."

Whatever play the company might take on, Wolf says the audience can expect to encounter dialogue that is rich and engaging.

Vita and Virginia, for example, is an adaptation of the letters between novelist Virginia Woolf and the lesser-known Vita Sackville-West.

Using the authors’ text, the play charts the course of their 19-year relationship that ended with Woolf’s suicide in 1941.

While prepping for the role of Sackville-West, Wolf says she invested numerous hours into understanding the dynamics of the complex character.

"I spent months reading about Vita’s life," she says. "There was this whole process of pre-work before you could even learn a line."

Though Sackville-West was known for her articles on English country houses and gardens, Wolf says she lacked Virginia’s innovative writing style.

"Virginia’s works have endured," says Wolf, 41. "Few people know of Vita … everybody knows of Virginia."

While analyzing Woolf’s work, the actor was able to gain insight into the woman whom Vita called a confidant.

"When you read her works, you see that she was a living, breathing presence," Wolf says.

Despite her early experience as a singing sensation, Wolf says the acting bug bit her later in life.

With the help of a close friend, Wolf was introduced to the vibrant world of community theater. She decided to join the chorus for a local theater’s production of the operetta The Grand Duke.

It was during this performance that Wolf says she realized her passion for acting.

While she never received any formal university training, she has acquired hands-on experience at theaters across the city, and also studied at the Wilma Theater’s Studio School.

Wolf has understudied in a few productions at the Wilma, 265 S. Broad St., and the Philadelphia Theatre Company over the past several years.

She also helped the Wilma Theater celebrate its 25th anniversary by taking on the role of a strolling opera singer — putting her pipes to good use once again.

In her spare time, Wolf enjoys singing opera, which she describes as "challenging, beautiful and emotional." She cites Bach, Handel and Mozart as her favorite composers.

As a "good, Catholic girl," Wolf, who left South Philly 15 years ago, also gives her vocal chords a workout at her local church in King of Prussia. She also sings at the occasional wedding.

"Anybody who hears me, books me," she says.

Wolf might not be able to show off her vocal range in Vita and Virginia, but says she is pleased with the quality of the play.

Amid a sea of lackluster screenplays, the script was a diamond in the rough, she says.

"I wanted to go with a script that had some meat to it, had a story line and would make people think," Wolf explains.

Though Isis Productions is only a year old, Wolf says the company has begun giving back to the community.

A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will be donated to the Center for Literacy, a local organization that instructs thousands of people in reading, writing, math and English as a second language.

"We feel that we want to contribute to the community in any way we can," says Wolf.

The Center for Literacy was the most appropriate organization since the play is dealing with literary works, she adds.

"We try to tie in a charitable organization that fits the mission of our show," notes Wolf. "If you don’t know how to read, you’ll never be exposed to the world of Virginia Woolf."

Last year, a portion of Voice’s proceeds went to the Breast Health Institute, she adds.

While the actor would love to make performing a full-time gig, she is currently paying the bills as an editor at Merion Publications in King of Prussia.

In the near future, her company has plans to help strengthen the local theater scene by using scripts penned by local playwrights.

"We want to support local artists and the people who want to do good work just like we do," she says.

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Vita and Virginia will run at Walnut Street Theatre’s Studio Five through Sunday. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased by phone at 610-337-1415 or at the door.