She Kills Monsters Program

She Kills Monsters

By Qui Nguyen

Directed by J. Briggs Cormier

The performance runs one and a half hours without an intermission.

Time & Setting

1995; Athens, Ohio, and the imaginary land of New Landia

Cast

Agnes
Emily Broski

Tilly
Helena Michalski

Chuck
Robert (Rob) Gangwer

Miles
Ethan McCoy

Kaliope/Kelly
Megan Stewart

Lilith/Lily
Anna Sullivan

Vera/Evil Gabbi/The Beholder
Grace McIlroy

Narrator/Evil Tina/Farrah the Faerie
Grace Kim

Steve
Nathaniel Johnson

Orcus/Ronnie
Josh Mink

Monsters
Jack Hurst, Sophia Lawson, Savanna Lenze

She Kills Monsters is presented by arrangement with Concord Theatricals on behalf of Samuel French, Inc. concordtheatricals.com

First produced in New York City, the Flea Theater, Jim Simpson, Artistic Director; Carol Ostrow, Producing Director.

The Videotaping or making of electronic or other audio and/or visual recordings of this production and distributing recordings or streams in any medium, including the internet, is strictly prohibited, a violation of the author's rights, and actionable under United States copyright law. For more information, please visit: concordtheatricals.com/resources/protecting-artists.

Please silence your cell phones and pagers prior to the beginning of the performance. In consideration of those seated around you, please refrain from texting during the performance.

Caleb M.P. Beidelman (assistant director), graduate student
Hometown: Indianapolis, IN
Major(s): theatre
Department Productions: 1st department production

Emily Broski (Agnes), senior
Hometown: Olmstead Falls, OH
Major(s): theatre; psychology
Department Productions: debut

Kami Bumpers (assistant stage manager), junior
Hometown: Miami, FL
Major(s): theatre
Department Productions: Sweat

Deken Foster (sound designer), senior
Hometown: Perrysville, OH
Major(s): theatre
Department Productions: 1st department production

Robert (Rob) Gangwer (Chuck), senior
Hometown: Granville, OH
Major(s): moving-image production
Minor(s): theatre
Department Productions: debut

Catherine Huffman (costume designer), graduate student
Hometown: Columbus, OH
Major(s): theatre
Department Productions: Men on Boats; Sweat; Everybody

Jack Hurst (Monster), sophomore
Hometown: Chicago, IL
Major(s): political science
Department Productions: debut

Nathaniel Johnson (Steve & fight captain), sophomore
Hometown: Dublin, OH
Major(s): theatre
Minor(s): marketing
Department Productions: debut

Grace Kim (Narrator/Evil Tina/Farrah the Faerie), sophomore
Hometown: Dublin, OH
Major(s): theatre; Romance studies
Department Productions: debut

Anne Lang (Dramaturg), senior
Hometown: Canton, OH
Major(s): theatre
Minor(s): LGBTQ+ studies
Department Productions: first department production

Sophia Lawson (Monster & fight captain), sophomore
Hometown: Yellow Springs, OH
Major(s): theatre
Minor(s): French
Department Productions: debut

Savanna Lenze (Monster & theatrical intimacy captain), junior
Hometown: Buffalo, NY
Major(s): theatre
Minor(s): education; Spanish
Department Productions: debut

Grace McIlroy (Vera/Evil Gabbi/The Beholder), junior
Hometown: Twinsburg, OH
Major(s): theatre
Minor(s): musical theatre
Department Productions: The Country Wife

Ethan McCoy (Miles), sophomore
Hometown: Painesville, OH
Major(s): psychology
Minor(s): musical theatre; neuroscience
Department Productions: debut

Helena Michalski (Tilly & choreographer), senior
Hometown: Columbus, OH
Major(s): dance
Minor(s): musical theatre
Department Productions: debut

Josh Mink (Orcus), 1st year student
Hometown: Shaker Heights, OH
Major(s): moving-image production; international studies
Department Productions: debut

Katherine Simon (scenic and properties designer), graduate student
Hometown: Waukesha, WI
Major(s): theatre
Department Productions: Wilderness; Everybody

Katie Stephan (production stage manager), senior
Hometown: Rootstown, OH
Major(s): theatre
Department Productions: Violet, the musical; The Country Wife

Megan Stewart (Kaliope/Kelly), senior
Hometown: Cleveland, OH
Major(s): biology
Department Productions: debut

Anna Sullivan (Lilith/Lily), sophomore
Hometown: Summit, NJ
Major(s): communications
Minor(s): musical theatre
Department Productions: Wilderness

Sunny Walton (dramaturg), junior
Hometown: Clarksburg, MD
Major(s): theatre
Minor(s): studio art
Department Productions: 1st department production

Greetings adventurers, and welcome to She Kills Monsters! You'll soon be entering a world full of monsters, magic, and mayhem. Watch the line that separates the real and the fantasy worlds slowly fade away as players become their characters and the campaign becomes a little too real. Dungeons and Dragons will soon take the stage.

Dungeons and Dragons (or D&D) is a tabletop roleplaying game in which players become elves, dwarves, and dragons with magical powers and super strength. The story and worldbuilding starts with the Dungeon Master (or DM), who guides the players and creates their world. Everyone at the table rolls dice, casts spells, and takes actions to interact with the world, flirt with non-playable characters (or NPCs), and attack monsters. Each campaign has its own story, setting, spells, and magic. Every adventuring group (or party) is equally as unique; each player plays a character with a one-of-a-kind class and race combination.

The class of your character affects what they do, how they fight, and what talents they have. It grants them access to certain spells and abilities. The main classes include Barbarians, Bards, Clerics, Druids, Fighters, Monks, Paladins, Rangers, Rogues, Sorcerers, Warlocks, and Wizards. The race of your character affects their identity, their ancestry, natural talents, and many other things. It might allow them to use certain tools, see in the dark, or have immunity to poison. The main races are Dwarves, Elves, Halflings, Humans, Dragonborn, Gnomes, Half-Elves, Half-Orcs, and Tieflings. And when the combinations become stale, players can always personalize their characters by writing backstories or by giving them certain flaws, traits, or stats. No two campaigns are ever the same.

As interesting as this all sounds, D&D is not considered "cool" in the world of She Kills Monsters. Characters not involved in the campaign tend to think that D&D seems "nerdy," "dorky," or "weird." Then again, it hasn’t been considered particularly "cool" in the real world either. Many people haven't played D&D, but it is usually represented as childish in popular culture, where it tends to be mentioned alongside World of Warcraft, LARPing (live-action roleplaying), and Magic the Gathering. In the period of the play, this disdain for D&D was much more acute. Beginning in the 1980s, D&D got caught up in a moral panic that condemned the game for "inspiring devil worship." Much of the media's attention focused its sexualized art style, monstrous races, and intense gore, which was unfoundedly blamed for promoting pornography, witchcraft, murder, suicide, and Satanism.

In She Kills Monsters, Agnes's party is comprised mostly of women, so this production shows only this group's experiences with D&D, but it always has been—and always will be—a way for folks from all backgrounds to express themselves and fulfill their desires. Wish fulfillment takes many forms. It can involve testing out a new name, playing a character of a gender different from one's own, or having an ability that one might not have in real life. D&D provides a safe space for people to look how they want, play how they want, and be who they want, all in a setting where other players will not shame them or question them for their choices. These unlimited possibilities have made D&D an ideal space for queer folks everywhere.

She Kills Monsters is a glimpse into the world of fantasy and roleplay, a world that many people never see. It features moments of whimsy and magic alongside powerful instances of contemplation and critique. Maybe you’ll even find your own story reflected in the play’s campaign. So, suit up your armor, grab an axe, or cast a spell . . . and prepare for your first session of Dungeons and Dragons!

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She Kills Monsters Program

She Kills Monsters Program