“If you are interested in a story that touches your heart, showcases fierce strong women, and role-plays in the world of Dungeons & Dragons, this is the show for you!”
Our final Fall Mainstage is here! Our final Fall Mainstage is here!! That’s right, everyone- She Kills Monsters, written by Qui Nguyen, is a dramatic comedy that tells the story of two sisters, Agnes and Tilly Evans, and how Agnes comes to terms with Tilly’s untimely death. Using Tilly’s homespun Dungeons & Dragons module, Agnes embarks on adventures in the imaginary world that was Tilly’s refuge. The play incorporates 90’s pop culture as well as a wide variety of D&D monsters that Tilly, Agnes, and their unusual party fight to the death.
Dungeons? Dragons?? Fights to the death??!? What more could anyone want in a show???
Let’s take a look at some behind-the-scene interviews with the show’s director, cast, and technical members!
First, we have the production’s director, Sarah Wiggin, who we asked what it’s been like working on this fun show. “Honestly, after over a year and half of not having a “traditional” rehearsal process I am loving all aspects! We are having a blast creating this crazy world, sword fighting, and laughing our way through the text. It is such a privilege to work in the room with this group of students who are learning new skills and embracing creative play. And, how can a play that takes place in the world of D&D be anything but fun? It’s definitely challenging putting this show up in the time we have, but the actors are doing wonderful work, and I trust we will get there.” It sounds like this is going to be quite a spectacle to see!
When asked about any challenges she’s faced during the rehearsal process, she shared, “Of course with Covid and cold & flu season, we have had to deal with actors unable to attend rehearsal. Fortunately, we have terrific understudies who are doing a great job stepping in. This is also a grand adventure being produced in a smaller, thrust space, so we have to figure out how to keep the size and scope in spite of that. Fortunately, our Fight Director, Alex Tolar, is an alumnus of our program and knows the space well. We also have an amazing design team that is finding creative ways to problem solve. I’ve never experienced a completely smooth rehearsal process, so I think we always enter expecting the unexpected.”
Next, we interviewed actor Kennedy Brown, who plays the character Tilly. She started by sharing with us a little about her character. “Tilly is incredibly adventurous, fun, bold, brave, loyal, and for sure a child at heart. In relation to Agnes, she’s a little more closed off. Agnes doesn’t understand the world that Tilly lives in. In the real world, even though Tilly longs for a relationship with her older sister, she finds it hard to connect and get through to Agnes, and Agnes isn’t the most accepting or caring of what Tilly is interested in. In the D&D world, everyone knows and loves Tilly. She is a natural born leader and someone that everyone can always count on. Her friends in the real world get to see this side of her too, but not many people overall have the pleasure to.”
When asked what a show like this means to her, Kennedy shared that, “There is no greater feeling than getting to represent the LGBTQ+ community on stage. As an actor, I thrive getting to explore and share these kinds of stories. Tilly reminds me to never be afraid to be myself. This show reminds everyone to love and accept others for the way that they are.”
Finally, we interviewed the production’s Scenic/Projection Designer, Michelle Harvey, and the Lighting Designer, Lillian Hilmes. We started by asking Michelle about her inspiration for her designs and what it was like creating a projection design. She stated, “There are a few things mentioned in the script, but it’s always in collaboration with the director and other designers. Inspiration for this particular production is coming from traditional Dungeons & Dragons imagery as well as the time period and location in which our story takes place. Since we are in the balcony and it is difficult to try and make major scene changes without killing the energy of the story, we decided to make a space that is flexible in terms of telling this specific story. Since the play is largely about a journey of discovery, it made sense to make the floor space a literal blank D&D grid map. This created the perfect projection surface. From there, I can use projections to help create the playing spaces and “battle maps” for each scene. The trick is to not be too literal but to simply suggest location through use of color, texture, and atmosphere while being aware that lighting may wash out some of these details (and for good reason- we do need to see the actors, of course).”
We also asked Lillian where she drew her lighting inspiration from, and if there were any challenges she came across while designing. She told us, “I took a lot of my inspiration from old D&D art! Specifically, art by Larry Elmore. The Balcony is always an interesting space to work in, but having a show with so much combat in that small of space made for an interesting challenge. Headroom was a serious concern, but Michelle took that into account and designed a set to accommodate.”
Wow- it is so exciting to see a production with such collaboration between designers, cast, and creative team!
Even in the confined space of the Balcony Theatre, this is going to be a show of such grandeur! Performances are November 12th through 22nd- all starting at 7:30pm, with Sunday matinees at 2:30pm. Make sure to PURCHASE YOUR TICKETS and get pumped for the adventurous show of the ages!
