Arcadia Stage will be performing their newest production, She Kills Monsters, in the PAC from Nov. 14 to 16 at 7:00 p.m. Student and senior tickets are sold for $10, general admission tickets for $15, and VIP tickets are $30. Written by acclaimed playwright and Vietnamese storyteller Qui Nguyen, the play recounts the tale of the protagonist, Agnes, who tries to understand, grieve, and unlock the mysteries regarding the death of Tilly, her younger sister. Discovering the Dungeons & Dragons (D&D) diary left behind by her sister, Agnes is transported inside the pages and ventures on a journey to get to know Tilly better through the game. 

Director Stephen Volpe commented on the overall message of the production and said that “as [Agnes] goes into the game, you get this feeling that—in this world—you can be anyone who you want to be and be accepted [by others]. But you also start to see that in our world, being different or being unique is not always embraced. It’s a really great message of finding the monsters inside us that hold us back, and being able to overcome those and find our own self-happiness.”

Regarding the challenges faced by the team while creating the play, Volpe reflected, “There’s a lot of fantastical characters, and they are characters [many] people know especially if [they] are D&D fans. So working with all our set designers and costume designers [can be difficult] when finding our point of view on [something] and how we want to create it, like if we want something to be realistic looking or have a little more theater magic or mystery to it. Being that the story takes place in the ‘90s and Ohio, we had to do a lot of research on the art, music, colors, and architecture during that era to make sure we stayed true to the period.”

Cast member senior Elizabeth Yeh added on with the difficulties she faced and explained that her “character lives both in the game world and the real world, [so] one of the biggest challenges is differentiating between those two. It’s been challenging to keep them the same character, but still have them be the total opposite of their personality. One of my favorite parts of working on this show is the stage combat, and I found that working on each of the fights [within the game] has been really fun!”

Cast member senior Zoe Lam discussed her experiences working on the play, and stated, “I found this play really interesting because there are so many components that are put into one—with all the dancing, singing, sword fighting, lines, and characters. It was fun, but also hard because we’re not used to all the physical movements that we have to do. It’s a lot to remember especially with school work, but I think it’ll pay off and make a great show!”

A tale full of companionship, loss, and acceptance, She Kills Monsters will definitely be a production worth watching. Don’t miss out on this chance to support Arcadia Stage and Stagecraft students, so grab your ticket from online or any theater/stagecraft student!