GRACE MCDONALD
mcdonaldge@lopers.unk.edu

From the moment the artistic silhouettes illuminated the stage, the audience was transported into a fantasy world filled with ogres, elves, demons, and Dungeon Masters in the play, “She Kills Monsters” by Qui Nguyen. With this thrilling piece, student director, Mary Joyce Curtis, led a dynamic cast in setting the bar high for the theater program’s 2019-2020 year.  

“She Kills Monsters” is centered around the main heroine, Agnes Evans, who while unpacking her childhood home, seeks a better understanding of her deceased, Dungeons and Dragons-infatuated younger sister, Tilly (A.K.A. Tillius the Paladin). After stumbling upon Tilly’s fantasy world, Newlandia, Agnes encounters a slew of monsters and daring warriors who challenge the societal norms, while aiding in the comedic journey to recover Tillius’s soul from the dreaded beast, Tiamat. 

However, the story is more than shocking twists, impactful soundtracks, dance battles, skilled puppetry, and suspenseful combat scenes. While the action-packed climaxes are plentiful, the strategic and fluid portrayal of the captivating characters evoked powerful emotions from the audience members. 

People left with the  epiphany that enchanting universes are invented to satisfy the desires we wish for in reality. The Dungeons and Dragons game reflected Agnes’s heartbreaking desire to have a relationship with her departed sister in the real world.

Whether viewers were D&D geeks or not, “She Kills Monsters” was brilliantly portrayed by the UNK theater program. Their performance symbolized the battles fought every day by humanity to conquer stereotypes and to create a paradise we can all live in as warriors, not as outcasts.