Kennesaw State theatre students brought a fantasy-action tale to life in seven performances of “She Kills Monsters” from Oct. 11 to Oct. 16 in the Onyx Theater on the Kennesaw campus.
In “She Kills Monsters,” Agnes, played by Natalie Ober, journeys through a Dungeons and Dragons campaign written by her sister who died in a car crash.
Agnes joins a party of fantastical characters in the Dungeons and Dragons campaign, including the flesh-eating demon Lilith, played by Olivia Williams, and the dark elf Kaliope, played by Ari Palmer. Agnes is most shocked to see Tillius the Paladin, a high-fantasy version of her own late sister, Tilly, played by India Smith.
The show opens with an intense sword fight between Tillius and a pack of monsters, and the action continues throughout the performance. Fight & Intimacy Director Amelia Fischer’s work lends a dynamic energy to the show.
As Agnes is guided through the game by dungeon master Chuck (played by John Lumapas), she learns more about her sister Tilly’s life and reconnects with her in a unique way.
The costume design, done by Michelle Lee, is an important part of the storytelling as well. Agnes’s everyday attire contrasts with the party’s detailed arrangements of leather armor. In addition, an array of masks, capes and woolly jackets give more realism to the many monsters that Agnes and the party must face.
The show was performed in the Onyx Theater, a small black box theater inside the Wilson Annex that seats around 70 audience members. The small size of the theater helped bring guests into the world of the show, such as when monsters would stomp through the aisles and peer at audience members.
Two columns topped with giant, glowing 20-sided dice framed the stage. Color-changing lights, clouds of fog and rock music created the show’s atmosphere. Scenic design, lighting design and sound design is credited to Mace Gallagher, Ben Holmes and Theatre & Performance Studies (TPS) Chair Chuck Meacham, respectively.
The show was a collaboration between a cast and crew of over 65 people, including KSU students, faculty and theater professionals as mentioned in the show’s program.
“We aim to provide spaces for meaningful connection between our student artists and our audiences, an extension of the wonderful work happening in our classrooms,” Meacham and Interim Artistic Director Amanda Wansa Morgan said, according to the program.
The show was originally created by Qui Nguyen and Jim Davis directed the play’s most recent run at KSU.
“She Kills Monsters” is part of the Department of Theatre & Performance Studies’ 2022-2023 season. The department gives KSU students admitted into the program the opportunity to express their creativity through performance and develop their skills within the academic setting.
Shows hosted by TPS are open to the public. More information and tickets for future shows can be found on the TPS website.
