The University theater department debuted their fall production of She Kills Monsters on  October 19 to enthusiastic crowds. This production is a heart wrenching, yet comedic, story of Agnes Evans who gets to know her late sister, Tilly Evans, after finding her Dungeons and Dragons player’s handbook.

   Tilly Evans, Agnes’s 15 year old sister died in a car crash a year ago. The two sisters were not close and after Tilly finds her sister’s D and D handbook, she uses it as a guide to better understand who her sister was as she navigates the game with the help of Agnes’ friend chuck, the games Dungeon Master 

   The show had two casts, one labeled Dragons and the other Dungeon, and offered magnet students from all grade levels the opportunity to participate either as leads, ensemble members, or technicians. Tilly’s character was  played by juniors Emma Cutting and Megan Griffin-Ferry. “My favorite scene to perform has to be the scene with Farrah the fairy. It was such a fun scene to put on with improvised lines and new character choices being made every time,” said Cutting. 

   This production had audiences laughing and crying as the protagonist made her way through her sister’s fantastical world of D and D. “I loved performing the scenes where we saw a glimpse into who Tilly really was. The arguments between Tilly and Agnes really strip down the relationship between them and show how realistic these characters are,” said junior Megan Griffin-Ferry.

   The female protagonist, Agnes Evans, was played by junior Chloe Christiansen and senior Raina Grabowski. “I enjoyed playing a character who went on such a significant journey. My character was clueless initially, but learned so much along the way,” said Grabowski. 

   Mr. Keith Traver even brought in a fight choreographer to choreograph and perfect the fight scenes in this play. You can’t have a play all about fighting dragons without over the top battle scenes . “The most difficult part of the rehearsal process was learning the fight choreography because I’ve never done anything like it before,” said Christiansen. 

   The theater department’s next production, the one-act Magic on the Mountain, will premier in mid-November.