Correction: A previous version of this story included a mistake in the headline and secondary photo caption where the play’s title, “She Kills Monsters” was improperly written as “She Kills a Monster.”
“The spectacle of this show is amazing, but more than the spectacle, the heart that comes along with it,” said director and instructor Collin Bressie, describing “She Kills Monsters,” Long Beach City College’s theater arts department’s latest production.
“People will invest in this story because they’ll find the characters relatable.”
The theater arts department will be opening their production of “She Kills Monsters,” a play about grief, relationships, and Dungeons and Dragons on March 16-19, with three 7:30 p.m. and two 2 p.m. showtimes.
Featuring dancing, combat, swords, and puppeteering, the show has something for everyone.
“(The audience) will feel a lot of joy and happiness,” said ensemble member Jesse Robles, “when they leave, they’re going to think a lot about the play.”
The play focuses on Agnes, a teen who loses her older sister Tilly alongside her parents in a car accident. As a means of not only escape but a way of dealing with her grief, Agnes embarks on a magical Dungeons and Dragons adventure.
“The play is all about her process of dealing with the death of her parents and her sister,” Ellen Arroyo, who plays Agnes, said.
As a means of seeking further connection to her late sister, Tilly, she begins to play Dungeons and Dragons.
“Agnes is trying to figure out the person that (Tilly) was and develop that relationship with her,” said Arroyo.
Actor Olivia Kale broke down their character, Tilly, and talked a bit more about the play.
“Tilly is an amalgamation of her DnD character, Chuck who was Tilly’s friend and is DMing the game for Agnes and his interpretation of her and a mixture of Agnes’ memories (of her),” said Kale.
Tilly’s character can be summed up as “a ghost of a character,” as we get fragments of her character from many different avenues.
When it comes to the fight sequences, the cast had to learn how to work with a fight coordinator.
One cast member, Roman Tiedemann, described the training as fun. Aside from a prior knife training class, he hadn’t had much experience with theatrical combat. His character, a slacker demon named Orcus, wields a mace as his weapon of choice.
“It was interesting to translate what I knew from knife training into a different weapon,” said Tiedemann.
Orcus contributes largely to the comedic elements of the play. Tiedeman described his character as a “Chad,” a slang term for an archetypical uber masculine man, who is young, athletic, and popular.
Those interested in purchasing tickets can visit lbcc.edu/arts/she-kills-monsters-drama-comedy to find the purchase link.