By: Grace Dietz
Copy Editor
The Mira Costa Drama/Tech Department shows an audience what it would be like to be in a real-life Dungeons and Dragons game as they perform their rendition of She Kills Monsters.
She Kills Monsters manages to bring audience members to tears and make them laugh hysterically simultaneously. With powerful acting and a magnificent storyline, the play successfully captures the true meaning of sibling love, and perfectly encapsulates the idea of relearning everything someone thought they knew about another person. The cast also manages to fill the spaces between heartfelt scenes with comedy in order to make a diverse, one-of-a-kind production.
Directed and produced by Costa Drama Director Jonathan Westerberg, the play was originally written by Qui Nguyen. Starring senior Caroline Lesser as Agnes, She Kills Monsters also includes sophomore Kate Bacon as Tilly, junior Francesca Barile as Lilith/Lily, senior Griffin Moore as Orcus/Ronnie, actor Bryson Ehrhard as Chuck and junior Gabriella Papera as Kaliope/Kelly. The entire set, including the minor props, were made by Drama’s Tech Department.
The play dives into the world of Agnes’s little sister, Tilly, who recently died in a car accident. Upon her sister’s death, Agnes finds a Dungeons and Dragons notebook that belonged to Tilly, and she decides to learn more about her sister by asking questions about the game. In order to understand Tilly, however, Agnes must immerse herself into the game, where she meets Tilly and her friends. Tilly, Chuck, Orcus, Kaliope and Lilith must guide Agnes towards the end of the game, as they fight off dragons and evil entities together.
The acting is undoubtedly one of the best features of She Kills Monsters. The cast give it their all in their roles, and they successfully manage to delve into the world of Dungeons and Dragons. They give superb performances, as viewers are genuinely crying in one scene and crying from laughing so hard in the next. One of the best performances came from Lesser, as her versatile character allows her to showcase the differences of a high school cheerleader and a “D&D nerd” at the same time, which encapsulates the audience. Overall, Lesser’s ability to convince viewers that the pain she feels from losing her sister is real is what makes the play probably the most enjoyable, along with the short, witty jokes.
Although the play focuses on the depressing, melancholy aspect of Agnes and Tilly reuniting after Tilly’s death, Costa’s rendition of She Kills Monsters also incorporates some comedy into the plot. If the cast had not told jokes, the play would be very serious and mundane, but the show manages to entertain viewers with it’s short, and sometimes controversial jokes. The jokes range from edgy comments about the LGBTQA+ community to including a character named Steve (portrayed by Anthony Saliba), whose main role is to come onstage at random times and announce his presence.
More importantly, the play also focuses on the LGBTQA+ community and the effects that coming out to one’s family plays on an individual. The plot includes the sub-plots of Lilith and Tilly, as they are portrayed to be kissing when Agnes enters the room, and Agnes’s perspective on her sister shifts, as she questions whether she really knew that much about Tilly. By incorporating these subplots and the idea of exploring with one’s sexuality, those who identify with the LGBTQA+ community can relate to specific characters.
The simple soundtrack included in She Kills Monsters allows audience members to be further entranced by the performances. While transitioning from one scene to the next, the crew plays distinct music so the audience is aware of when one scene ends and the next begins. The songs that are played in the background of fighting scenes only adds to the dramatic feel of the scenes and makes viewers sit on the edge of their seats. Similarly, the soundtrack affiliated with melancholy, sincere scenes makes viewers feel the emotions of the actors and adds to the viewing experience.
Another main theme of the play is wish fulfillment for each of the characters. Tilly created this specific game so Agnes could understand her sister better, Lilith immersed herself in Tilly’s imaginary world to escape bullying from her peers, Orcus chose to include himself to escape his life which is otherwise boring, and Kaliope chose to join the game so she could feel the joy of walking on two legs, as she has a physiological problem in which she needs crutches. This feature only adds to the sincerity of the play and makes the audience sympathize with the characters.
She Kills Monsters is one of the best performances from the Costa Drama/Tech Department, as it is the perfect mix of comedy and heartfelt scenes. Audience members are sure to love this rendition of Nguyen’s play, as they understand that everyone has their demons…and dragons.
There will be two additional showings of She Kills Monsters on Nov. 12 and Nov. 13 in the small theatre. For more information, visit Drama/Tech’s website at miracostadramaboosters.org.
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