“She Kills Monsters”, a play by Qui Nguyen (pronounced “Kwee Gwin”) will be performed April 22-23 at 7 p.m. at the River Arts Center, 105 Ninth St., Prairie du Sac, located at the south end of Sauk Prairie High School.
Tickets are $10 each. Tickets are currently available online through the River Arts Center website. They can also be purchased at the door beginning at 6:30 on the evenings of performances.
The play is set in Athens, Ohio in 1995, and centers on two sisters: Agnes and Tilly Evans. Like a lot of siblings, Agnes and Tilly don’t always get along, and they lose the chance to do so when Tilly is killed in a car accident. While cleaning out Tilly’s locker at school, Agnes stumbles upon a Dungeons and Dragons module Tilly had left behind. In the made-up world of New Landia, Tilly is still very much alive. With the help of some of Tilly’s friends, Agnes begins to play the game, and in doing so rediscovers the sister she never had a chance to fully know. It’s a comedy-drama where the so-called “nerds” reign supreme, and where the monsters are not only goblins and dragons, but grief and separation.
First year SPHS Drama Coach Eric Brehm shares, “Since it’s my first time directing the drama at Sauk Prairie High School, I wanted to do something a little bit different while also doing a show that might speak to relevant issues at the high school level.On the surface, She Kills Monsters looks like a somewhat-nerdy show about playing Dungeons and Dragons, but it’s also about love and loss and growing up and finding your own place in the world.Parts of it are really funny, and parts of it are downright touching. And–since it’s set in 1995, a lot of the fashion and music and other items in the show will look familiar to parents, as well.”
The cast, in order of appearance, consists of Carly Kinnamon (Narrator), Alli Krueger (Tilly Evans), Molly Fabian (Agnes Evans), Philip Nelson (Chuck Biggs), Marcus Larson (Miles), Dipta Danena (Vera), Karley Blau (Lilith/Lily), Ashley Sparrow (Kaliope/Kelly), Ethan Kolnik (Orcus/Ronnie), Ian Briscoe (Steve), Keeli Kraemer (Farrah the Faerie), Geneva Howard (Evil Gabbi), and Helen Judge (Evil Tina).
“Our cast and crew have been working really hard. It’s tough to learn a show and build a set and stage a sword fight and all of the other things we’ve been doing, but all of these young people have proved more than equal to the task. I’m excited both for this show, and also for what the program can offer in the future,” says Coach Brehm.