Students bring warriors and dragons to the stage with “She Kills Monsters”
Students will jump into the imaginary world of Dungeons & Dragons on stage with the Binghamton University Theatre Department’s spring production, She Kills Monsters.
“I don’t think we’ve ever put on a show that required stage combat, over-the-top costumes or crazy sets like this,” said Patrick Saint Ange, who plays the role of Miles. “It’s going to be a big show by every stretch of the word. People should be ready to have fun and be nerdy with Dungeons & Dragons.”
Opening night for the action-packed play begins at 8 p.m. May 5, and performances will continue until May 8, in Watters Theater. Those who wish to join the cast on its adventure can buy tickets online or through the Anderson Center Box Office.
She Kills Monsters, by Qui Nguyen, is a drama-comedy play set in the ’90s that follows Agnes Evans after the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. Agnes discovers Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook and is transported into a world of demons and warriors. The play follows Agnes’ journey through Tilly’s imagination as she deals with the grief of losing her sister and fights some monsters along the way.
Mary Chattin plays the lead role, Agnes, who is an average school teacher. Chattin trained and worked as an actress in Los Angeles for four years before coming to Binghamton University to pursue political science and history. She missed acting and returned to the stage with the Theatre Department’s fall production, Triptych.
“One of my favorite things about Agnes is that she is so relatable,” Chattin said. “She is average, yes, but she is just like everyone else. She has regular problems, dealing with age and loss, all sorts of really relatable things. That’s really what highlights Agnes. Even though she has all these adventures throughout the play, at the end of the day she’s not super heroic; she’s just average, and that’s still okay.”
Binghamton University welcomed Brian Gillespie to guest-direct She Kills Monsters, a production Gillespie has been hoping to direct for years. Theatre artist Gillespie has an MFA from the University of Washington and directed multiple shows in New York City. He admires Nguyen’s style of writing, the play’s numerous female roles that engage in stage combat and the themes in the play.
“It explores some themes I think are interesting and timely about self-discovery and acceptance, and shows a glimpse about what it was like to be a LGBTQ teenager in th ’90s and that struggle with being closeted,” Gillepsie said.
The production consists of fantastical props, sets and costumes, as well as on-stage combat. The actors worked with experienced director Gillespie and professional fight choreographer Jacqueline Holloway to create safe and realistic fights in the play.
While many of the actors were previous fans of Dungeons & Dragons before being cast, the audience can come without any knowledge of the game and still fully understand and enjoy the mystical play.
Throughout the play, and in the midst of sword fighting, adventure and monsters, Agnes learns more about her sister and works through her grief.
“As fun as it is, I think She Kills Monsters is really a story about how to deal with grief,” Chattin said. “It sends the message that you have to enjoy life and people while you have them and not take your loved ones for granted.”
“[The show] is fun and it can be a little bit silly at times, but there are real moments of human connection, dealing with loss, reconciliation, self-acceptance and acceptance of others,” Gillespie said. “It’s not a play that’s hitting you over the head with those things. It’s in the context of this fantasy and journey of discovery.”