“She Kills Monsters” Comes to UWSP

The University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Department of Theatre and Dance will perform “She Kills Monsters” in the Studio Theatre.

Performances run Feb. 27-28 at 7:30 p.m., March 1 at 2 p.m., March 5-6 at 7:30 p.m., and March 7 at 2 and 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $28 for the public and $10 for students.

“She Kills Monsters” follows the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her home in Ohio after her sister, Tilly, dies. When Agnes finds her sister’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, she finds herself on a journey through her sister’s imaginary world. 

“She Kills Monsters” is directed by Greg Pragel, this is his first mainstage show with the UWSP. Pragel has been with UWSP for three and a half years and has directed three staged readings during his time. He serves as a lecturer of acting at UWSP and has worked as a fight choreographer since 2008. Pragel has also performed in regional theaters across the United States.

The play is in the Studio theatre, completely staged in the round, allowing action and scenery to be seen from all angles. Pragel said that this is the biggest showing of “She Kills Monsters”, having a cast and ensemble.

For those unfamiliar with Dungeons and Dragons, Pragel said, “You don’t need to know D&D to come and see the show.” 

Pragel said many cast members were also new to the game, making the production accessible for audiences unfamiliar with Dungeons & Dragons. For longtime fans, “There are a lot of Easter eggs.” said Pragel.

“She Kills Monsters” has multiple major fight scenes. “I’m talking like 10 big fight sequences.” Pragel said.

Within production, the majority of content is student-run. The cast, designers, and managers are all students, fostering a strong sense of student-led ideas. Students can play significant roles in decisions and earn practicum credits as well as experience through their roles. 

 “The actors do so much, the directors do so much, the designers do so much. Even before the show begins, it’s a team effort.” said Stage Manager Isabella Sthokal, “It’s all collaborative throughout the whole process.”

“ We’re trying to make it as game accurate as possible,” Sthokal said, “ One of our rehearsals was dedicated to doing a one shot, so all of our actors could understand at least the basics of the game.”

Mattie Ruona, a UWSP student, is the scenic designers for “She Kills Monsters.” Ruona is not new to the work needed for this show, she has worked on over eight productions in the past at UWSP.

Ruona said “The show takes place primarily in the world of Dungeons and Dragons, but also in the real world. So it’s a blending of the two worlds together.”

Nessa Grant, the properties designer, said that the show features a wide variety of props. The props include a range of items, which include  furniture, weapons, and puppets. 18 out of the 25 monsters are completely puppets.

The monster movers are categorized into costumes and prop puppets for the play, ranging from life-size creations to smaller handheld designs.

The play explores themes of grief, identity, and belonging while addressing social cliques and division. She Kills Monsters is about seeing people for who they are, including relevance today about social cliques and division.

For more information or tickets, you can visit https://www.uwsp.edu/event/she-kills-monsters/.