Camille Pfister
Executive Editor
Get ready my fellow thespians, Dungeons and Dragons fans, and nerds of all kinds! There is a new Sewanee Theater production coming your way soon! This week, She Kills Monsters, a contemporary drama-comedy by Qui Nguyen, and directed by Professor Sarah Hamilton, will premiere at the Tennessee Williams Center for all to see. The tagline provided to students is as follows: “A play about grief. A play about sexual identity. A play about Dungeons and Dragons.”
The basic plot (spoiler free) follows Agnus, a woman healing from grief following the death of loved ones. Agnus discovers a Dungeons and Dragons module created by her dead sister and begins to play it, hoping to reconnect with her in death. The play shifts from the “real world” to the mystical world Agnus’s sister created. “It’s really a story about these sisters reconnecting, and finding a way to love each other even after death,” Hamilton said. “But it’s also really, really, fun. There are these great fight sequences and all kinds of Dungeons and Dragons creatures.”
Hamilton has adored working with all of the students and staff who are helping bring this world to life, through the production team, the costumes, the stage management, and the cast. “The cast has really been enthusiastic, and excited, and playful, and they’re bringing so much life and energy to the play,” Hamilton said. “So, it’s been a really fun and playful time.”
If you are interested in coming out to see this magical performance, the performance times are listed below. Here is the link where you can register for tickets.
Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday, October 4, 5, and 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Friday, October 6 at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday, October 7 and 8 at 2:00 p.m.
And if you are still on the fence, let me leave you with a quote from Hamilton, encapsulating the beauty and magic of this play. “One of the things I love most about this play is it’s really about how imagination and joy, and continuing to imagine a better future even in the face of really sad, heart wrenching things, is a revolutionary act. And I think that’s a message that will really resonate with our community.”