She Kills Monsters Program

Chair
E.J. Westlake

Production Manager
Sherée Greco

Director
J. Briggs Cormier

Scenic and Properties Designer
Katherine Simon

Costume Designer and Puppets Designer
Catherine Huffman*

Lighting Designer
Maranda DeBusk

Sound Designer
Deken Foster

Technical Director
Chad R. Mahan

Production Stage Manager
Katie Stephan

Fight Director
Adam M. Baglereau

Assistant Director
Caleb M.P. Beidelman

Theatrical Intimacy Choreographer
Jeanine Thompson

Choreographer
Helena Michalski

Dramaturgs
Anne Lang
Sunny Walton

Assistant Stage Manager
Kami Bumpers

Fight Captains
Nate Johnson
Sophia Lawson

Theatrical Intimacy Captain
Savanna Lenze

External Relations and Publicity Coordinator
J. Briggs Cormier

Ticketing Services and Audience Services Specialist
Julia Buttermore

Graphic Design
Formation Studio

*This design is completed in partial satisfaction of the degree requirements for the Master of Fine Arts in Theatre.

Technical Director
Chris Zinkon

Scenic Studio Manager
Chad R. Mahan

Scenic Studio Teaching Associates
Katherine Simon, Megan Wells

Scenery Construction Crew
John Baniak, Rajha Bradley, Kevin Campbell II, Matthew Fisher, Gregory Goldberg, Ray Hahn, Ashlynn Hanlin, Matt Henry, Darrian Ippolito, Grace Lamparyk, Shardai'Ja Mumford, Sophie O'Leary, Braleena Pickens, Ellie Price, Jillian Regal, Kalee Sribanditmongkol, Persis Yoder, Hailey Zitser

Set Run Crew
Matthew Fisher, Matt Henry, Robin Phillips

Costume Studio Manager
Coco Mayer

Costume Studio Teaching Associates
Jo Fuller, Catherine Huffman

Costume Construction Crew
Morgan Brown, Julia Hodge, Robin Eaken, Olivia Hamlett-Ho, Keona Hibbard, Casey Kuhlman, Alexis Mennona, Ava Petersen, Anastasia Smith, Connor Telford, Brian Waligura, Sydney Webb, Jenny Xu, Marvel Zhou

Wardrobe Crew
Diane Evans, Charlie Kaneer, Ava Petersen, Gabby Wheeler

Lighting Studio Manager and Production Electrician
Eric M. Slezak

Lighting Programmer
Yasmine Kashubeck

Light Board Operator
Lauren Klein

Lighting Crew
Rajha Bradley, Audra Franke, Gregory Goldberg, Eryn Toppin, Leticia Wang, Gabe Willenberg, Christopher Maxwell Wright

Sound and Media Studio Manager
Keya Myers-Alkire

Sound Board Operator
Eryn Toppin

Live Mix Operator
Nicholas Younoszai

Sound Crew
Deken Foster, Daniel Froelich, Sydney Howells, Ruth Luketic, Michael Parkman, Gabrielle Wheeler, Nicholas Younoszai

Ticket Office Staff
Fatoumata Kante, Robert Montuoro, Brenda Ramos Perez, Jason Speicher, Julie Wietholter

House Managers
Fatoumata Kante

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!

November 8 - 17

Tickets on sale now at TicketMaster.