Katie Kirk takes the stage as Tilly: fearless, ironclad and ready to battle. However, this story is not about Tilly — it’s about her sister Agnes, played by Courtney Abbott. Agnes is about to learn a lot about her sister, but more than anything, Agnes is about to learn that she kills monsters.
The Ohio University Forum Theater was filled with dragons, beasts and warriors Saturday night as the OU School of Theater’s performance of She Kills Monsters began. Though the show advertises to be full of ’90s nostalgia and Dungeons & Dragons, it’s much more than that.
Set in ’90s Athens, before the internet was popular and people still relied on physical games to provide entertainment, She Kills Monsters follows Agnes, a 24-year-old English teacher who recently lost both of her parents, and her 15-year-old sister, Tilly, in a car accident.
Now, Agnes is searching for any way to get closer to her sister. It’s then when she comes upon Tilly’s notebook, filled with plans and instructions she doesn’t understand. However, she recognizes the game: D&D.
From there, she enlists the help of local nerd and D&D expert, Chuck, played by KeShawn Mellon. The two launch into Tilly’s campaign, and suddenly. Agnes’ world goes from packing boxes and grading papers to enchanted forests and fighting monsters.
However, the fantasy world of Tilly’s campaign becomes threateningly real when Agnes is able to “interact with her” by learning all of these things about her sister that she never knew. It’s up to Agnes to finish the game and discover who her sister truly was, recognizing that it’s still not too late.
The play was written by OU alumnus Qui Nguyen, who graduated in 2002. The play is loosely based on an old gaming store in Uptown Athens, according to the She Kills Monsters program.
Directed by Brian Evans, She Kills Monsters had a phenomenal cast full of undergraduate students, and one graduate student, Abbott. The cast was not only responsible for their own dialogue, fight choreography and other various forms of blocking, but they, along with the crew, also acted as puppeteers for the plethora of giant monsters the warriors were forced to face throughout the journey.
Though the puppetry, intricate costuming and technical effects, such as sound and lighting are quite impressive, it’s important to note the seamless fight scenes, choreographed by Evans. There are several huge fight scenes, complete with jumping on different levels of the stage, flying in from the sides on ropes and throwing every last sword and punch they could.
Unlike other straight plays, each scene transition or fight scene is complete with an epic soundtrack full of ’90s nostalgia music. Not only does it perfectly complement the scene, but it hypes up the audience.
The audience was laughing, cheering and vicariously living through the characters throughout the entire show. After every fight scene, character introduction and empowering line about women, nerds or LGBTQ+ people, the audience would erupt in applause and deafening cheers.
Taylor Mead, a student at Mahoning County Career and Technical Center, came to see the show with her boyfriend, who is a student at OU. She heard there would be lots of effects and puppetry involved and wanted to see how the cast and crew would pull it off.
“I’m shocked,” Mead said. “I came into this thinking of plays I saw in high school and not realizing the gravity a college can bring to a stage.”
Other students who play D&D regularly were excited to see that type of representation on stage.
Dylan O’Donnell, an undecided sophomore, came to see his friend, KeShawn Mellon, in the show and thought the plot sounded really interesting.
“It was amazing and definitely brought me to tears at the end,” O’Donnell said. “There was so much focus in detail in the design: the props, costumes, staging, everything.”
Samantha Rinaldi, a junior studying choral music education, also came to see Mellon in the show and, as an avid D&D player, wanted to see what the play would be like.
“I was geeking out the whole time,” Rinaldi said. “I wanted to be up there with a sword playing with them. It was cool getting to see the characters we genuinely portray in the game on stage.”
Nguyen’s homage to geeks everywhere became Evans’ vision for OU School of Theater students. The show brought out everyone’s inner geek and took the audience for an emotional ride through the world of D&D.
OU students and residents still have a chance to catch the action Feb. 25-29 at 8 p.m. in Forum Theater.
