Dungeons and dragons and emotional devastation, oh my! From Oct. 4 to 6, the University of Central Missouri’s Division of Theatre and Dance produced the first mainstage show of their season, “She Kills Monsters.” 

 “She Kills Monsters” was written by Qui Nguyen and premiered in 2011. The show follows Agnes as she uses her sister, Tilly’s, game of “Dungeons and Dragons” to try and understand Tilly and heal after losing her, as well as the rest of her family, in a tragic car accident. 

 This show was directed by Aaron Scully. Scully is an assistant professor in UCM’s theater program.

 “I had seen it before and I really liked it,” Scully said. “It’s a lot of fun and I wanted to do a show that people could really have fun at.” 

 During this show, Scully also took the position of fight choreographer. He described the directing process for the show as quite challenging. 

 “I knew that I wanted a lot of stage combat and most of the actors had little to no experience,” Scully said. “You have to be very strict with your time.”

  He explained that there was a lot of problem-solving involved in the production process, which is evident even in the opening of the show. After a narrator gives a brief opening monologue, the intense action begins. Out bursts an armor-clad Tilly Evans surrounded by a hoard of four green monsters. Metal clanks as Tilly fends off the creatures. Tilly succeeds in vanquishing the beasts and a short animation shows Agnes, played by Senior Alannah Trigg, growing up with her odd sister. This animation ends with a description of the car crash that killed Agnes’ family. This takes place entirely in the opening scene of the show. From there, a multitude of scenes requiring proper timing and trained stage fighting commenced. 

 Tilly Evans was played by Raegan Weber, a junior theatre performance major. This character means a lot to Weber.

“Tilly Evans actually means everything to me,” Weber said. “It’s the first character I’ve actually gotten to perform and just felt completely safe with. Every single thing I was doing was to represent her and everything she’s been through.”

 Tilly Evans is a principal character in the show and she is shown to have endured a great deal. As a nerdy, teenage lesbian growing up in the 90’s, she was the subject of harsh bullying by her peers. She had attempted to form a relationship with a fellow female student but, because of the other girl’s fear of being ostracized by her community, nothing could come of their interactions. 

  Audiences had high praise for this show. One student in attendance was Senior Maddy Svaceck.

  “My favorite thing actually was the attention to detail with the costumes,” Svacek said. 

  The costumes for this show were an important part of the storytelling. The characters Agnes and Miles are meant to be real people and dress as such. Miles, played by Junior Payton Lawrence, wore a blue flannel shirt and jeans. This was a stark contrast to the “Dungeons and Dragons” characters such as Kaliope and Lilith. Kaliope, played by Sophomore Kaia Trujillo, was styled in pleather pants with ties up the sides, paired with a pleated purple shirt and wrist cuffs. This difference allowed audiences to make a clear distinction between what is to be viewed as the real world and what is meant to be the fantasy world the characters visit while playing “Dungeons and Dragons.” 

 While this fantasy show has come to an end, the division will be hosting several more shows over the year. For information on the rest of UCM’s theater and dance season, visit the UCM Theatre and Dance website.