WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Feb. 1, 2016 — West Liberty University students will soon present a new comedy, “She Kills Monsters,” that looks at the world of fantasy role-playing games. The play opens at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Feb. 11.
“I absolutely love this play. It touches on a lot of issues you see in society today, loss of a family member, bullying, acceptance of the LGBT community, the difficulty accepting a culture that is not your own (in this case, the gaming community). The show is about overcoming yourself and your own boundaries. It’s about acceptance in its many forms,” explained student director Meaghan Macey who is a theatre major. She also is the fight choreographer for the production.
“She Kills Monsters” tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly’s Dungeons and Dragons notebook, however, she stumbles into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was Tilly’s refuge.
There are plenty of pop culture references too in the play that link the action to the 1990s.
“Agnes, played by Alexandria Glotfelty, has to not only accept that her sister Tilly is dead, but has to accept her in an unusual way: through a Dungeons and Dragons module. The audience will hopefully walk away with a greater appreciation of exactly why the gaming community plays these games. If you have ever wondered why someone would play a ‘dorky, weird game’ like D&D, you can certainly get an answer from She Kills Monsters,” Macey said.
Assisting Macey in her directing efforts is adjunct theater instructor John Hennen.
Besides Glotfelty as Agnes, the cast includes Mattheus Nail as narrator, Destiny Walsh as Tilly, Zac Morris as Chuck, Ingrid Young as Lilith, Alex Burdick as Kaliope, Jed Shook as Orcus, Nick Morris as Miles, Chris Rees as Steve, Amanda Mandirola as Vera, Michelle Russell as Evil Tina, Sarah Lemley as Evil Gabby, Maria Schmidt as Farrah and Desirrae Wells and Morgan Goddard as puppeteers.
“She Kills Monsters” was the choice for the 2013 American Alliance for Theatre Education Distinguished Play Award and was written by acclaimed playwright Qui Nguyen.
Nguyen is a co-founder of the OBIE (Off Broadway) Award-winning Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company of New York City. On his official website, Nguyen calls himself “playwright, screenwriter and geek.”
Vampire Cowboys holds the unique distinction of being the first and currently only professional theatre organization to be officially sponsored by New York Comic Con.
“She Kills Monsters” was originally staged by Robert Ross Parker as a part of 2011-2012 theater season at the Flea Theater, NYC.
Costumes in the production were created by Michael Blatzer, a theatre major from Inwood, W.Va. Blatzer has been guided by WLU’s longtime theatre technical director Meta Lasch.
“What’s interesting and challenging about this production is how it’s split in half. Half takes place in the real world and half is in the video world of gaming. You can pull the real world costumes out of anyone’s closet but the fantasy costumes are harder. They aren’t even like period costumes because there is no historical reference. Video games, online and television are the only references. It’s unique in that way,” Blatzer said.
“For example there is a girl she-demon, that wears a skimpy leather garment, but after looking at games, we needed to make that costume adaptable to our stage and our audience, he said.
Blatzer plans to remain in the theatre world after graduating this spring and hopes to eventually earn a master’s degree in costume design. His work in the production is part of his senior capstone project. It also provides a senior capstone for lead actress Glotfelty and offers an opportunity for art major and set designer Rebecca McDowell to develop the work that will be used in her springtime senior art exhibition.
“She Kills Monsters” continues at 7:30 p.m., Feb. 12, 18, 19, 20 and 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 21. The play is rated PG-13 for violence, language and mild sexual content.
To purchase tickets call the WLU Ticket Office at 304.336.8277 or visit wlumonsters.brownpapertickets.com. For more information on the Theatre Department, please visit the College of Arts and Communication website or call 304-336-8006.