The FGCU Theatre Program blended fantasy, comedy and emotional storytelling in its latest production, \u201cShe Kills Monsters.\u201d The show, directed by Dan Bacalzo and written by Qui Nguyen, returned to the stage last weekend with its four final performances April 17-19.<\/p>\n
Originally produced in 2011, \u201cShe Kills Monsters\u201d has become one of the most frequently performed contemporary plays at colleges and community theaters across the country. Its popularity stems from a combination of imaginative fantasy elements inspired by tabletop role-playing games and themes that many young adults can relate to.<\/p>\n
The main character of this play is Agnes Evans, who plays a key role in driving the story\u2019s emotional journey. Senior Brielle Midler plays her younger sister, Tilly Evans. Midler said the show balances humor and action with deeper themes that resonate with audiences.<\/p>\n
\u201cI would describe \u2018She Kills Monsters\u2019 as a hilarious show about a D&D party going on an adventure to save the lost soul of Athens, but at its core, it\u2019s about grief, love and desperation for something you can\u2019t get back,\u201d Midler said.<\/p>\n
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The production features fast-paced fight scenes, colorful costumes and fantasy-inspired characters that bring the story\u2019s imagined world to life on stage. Performers use prop weapons and choreographed combat sequences throughout the show, adding an action-driven element that sets it apart from more traditional stage productions.<\/p>\n
Midler said the physical demands of the production, particularly the stage combat, made the experience both challenging and rewarding for performers.<\/p>\n
\u201cStage combat is just like dancing,\u201d she said. \u201cYou must trust your partner and move with them to tell the story. This show has so many insane fight sequences in it, and it\u2019s so fun to do every time.\u201d<\/p>\n
For sophomore theatre major Grace Duncan, one of the most enjoyable parts of preparing for the production was learning the physical elements of the show, including staged combat scenes.<\/p>\n
\u201cDefinitely working with the prop weapons and learning how to use them correctly when fighting,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Duncan plays Lily\/Lilith, a character who adds both humor and intensity to the story\u2019s real-life and fantasy worlds. Duncan said the show uses its imaginative setting to explore meaningful emotions in an accessible way.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2018She Kills Monsters\u2019 is a play that discusses the process of grief along with the fantastical world of Dungeons and Dragons,\u201d Duncan said. \u201cIt\u2019s about this young woman named Agnes Evans, who had lost her parents and sister, and finds her younger sister\u2019s D&D game that she created and plays along to understand more about her.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gavin Regalado, a freshman theatre major, plays Miles, who is Agnes\u2019 boyfriend. Regalado said the collaborative nature of the production helped create a strong sense of community among performers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe nature of the show is very big, and my fellow actors weren\u2019t afraid to go big,\u201d Regalado said. \u201cMaking this as a collection of everybody\u2019s efforts has been so much fun, and I would do it a million times over.\u201d<\/p>\n
Regalado said the story resonates with audiences because it reflects experiences many people share.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody\u2019s faced loss or grief in their life,\u201d he said. \u201cThe idea that you\u2019re not alone, because you\u2019re in a room full of people who all relate to the story in their own way, creates a sense of community.\u201d<\/p>\n
Payton Erickson, a student who attended one of the performances, was among the audience members who felt emotionally affected by the show.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis play impacted me emotionally way more than I thought it would,\u201d Erickson said. \u201cThrough all the wackiness and humor, which already made the play good, is a deep and thoughtful story of family and friendship.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The FGCU Theatre Program blended fantasy, comedy and emotional storytelling in its latest production, \u201cShe Kills Monsters.\u201d The…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":242181,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":["post-242180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=242180"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/242180\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/242181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=242180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=242180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=242180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}