She Kills Monsters
at West Springfield High School

Reviewed on November 19, 2016

Miranda Huffer
Woodgrove High School
Submitted for publication to Cappies News


Dungeons and Dragons – a classic, beloved game by many nerds and geeks of the 90's. Many have felt an emotional connection to it, finding it an outlet to get away from reality or a way to express themselves. But what about connecting to a lost loved one? In West Springfield's performance of She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen, a new meaning is found in the classic roleplay game, one of coming out and of love between siblings.

Set in the 90's, She Kills Monsters is a creative combination of the struggles of grieving and the comedic nature of geek culture. Agnes (Delaney Fetzer), a "normal" girl in her 20's, finds herself dealing with a huge loss when her family dies in a car accident. This included her nerdy sister Tilly (Jane Schwartz), a young D&D fan. Among her sister's belongings, Agnes finds a notebook with a D&D game inside – one designed by Tilly herself. Determined to understand her late sister, Agnes takes the book to Chuck (Carden Warner), a local high school Dungeon Master who knew Tilly. He teaches her how to play the game, and soon Agnes finds herself immersed in her sister's fantasy world, adventuring alongside Tilly and her group of warriors: Lilith (Eila Nash), Kaliope (Tessa Chaplin), and Orcus (Brenden Blackwell), each connected with a real-life friend of Tilly. Agnes finds she must overcome monsters, both in the game and in real life as she struggles to come to terms with the loss of her sister and discovering her sister's homosexuality.

The show was brought to life with vibrant costumes, characters, and charisma packed together with a talented cast. Accented with classic 90's music, the show took the audience back a few decades. The consistently engaged ensemble of monsters helped to keep the setting enveloping for the entire audience, providing a high-energy base for each switch back to the D&D world from reality.

Tilly was the highlight of the show, her consistent, powerful presence seen clearly in her interactions with other characters. She and her group of warriors all worked well together, especially the romantic relationship between Tilly and Lilith. Tilly's strength was contrasted with moments of vulnerability, especially in a scene in which Agnes gives a letter from Tilly to the real-life version of Lilith. Although no words were spoken, the actresses conveyed the meaning with their expressions – it was one of the most tender, heartfelt moments throughout the performance.

Despite the strong message behind Tilly's sexuality, the show was filled with comedic moments and characters, most notably Steve (Colin Jones). Steve was the definition of comic relief – he would waltz into "boss battles" in a naive way and find himself wounded each time by the seemingly harmless monster. His timing and characterization lit up every moment he was on stage, adding an entirely fresh feel to the show.

The 90's aura that filled the stage would not have been possible without the technical elements mechanized. The music played during the fight scenes worked to both influence the comedic effect and to amp up the energy of the actors. This was added to by the distinct costumes, as each of the characters dressed in typical garb thought of when imagining the mythical creatures. This launched the audience back and forth between the game world and reality, helping to distinguish setting while also influencing the aesthetics of the performance.

West Springfield brought together the most beloved pieces of Dungeons and Dragons, and mixed them up with love and grief into a beautiful performance of She Kills Monsters. Fill out your character sheet, roll the dice, and immerse yourself in their show!

Katherine Bushman
Stone Bridge High School
Submitted for publication to Cappies News 2

It's a classic adventuring party – one brave-hearted heroine, one she-demon love interest, one agile dark elf, one morally ambiguous orc… and one awkward English teacher. In She Kills Monsters, West Springfield High School brings fantasy roaring into life and color thanks to a capable, dedicated cast and crew.

The story follows Agnes Evans, an unremarkable twenty-something who, after the death of her teenage sister, Tilly, attempts to belatedly get to know her sister through the Dungeons & Dragons notebook Tilly left behind. It quickly becomes more than a game though, as Agnes struggles to understand who her sister was and grapples with the regret that she didn't know her better in life. Dealing with themes such as sexuality and grief, She Kills Monsters, written by Qui Nguyen, balances comedy and tragedy with a healthy dose of 90's nerd culture.

While Tilly, played by Jane Schwartz, carried the show with her fierce spirit, Delaney Fetzer as Agnes was the soul of the piece as her character gradually deals with opening up and accepting the past as she delivered comedic one-liners and heart-wrenching monologues with equal finesse. Eila Nash showed impressive flexibility as she played both the shy, closeted high schooler Lily and the ferocious, seductive demon queen, Lilith. As the dungeon master Chuck, Carden Warner perfectly encapsulated the mannerisms of a geeky teenager. A surprise audience favorite was Colin Jones as Steve the Mage, whose frequent and comic death scenes elicited peals of laughter. The exhilarating execution of fast-paced fight choreography added excitement and high stakes to the adventure as characters fought masked foes with swords, fists, and magic. Overall, the cast did an excellent job in switching characters cleanly from Athens, Ohio in 1995 and their counterparts in the fantasy world of New Landia.

Technical aspects helped to transport the audience into the world of Tilly's imagination. Ghoulish makeup, created by Ariel Kern, transformed cheerleaders into succubi and slackers into orcs. Costumes, designed by Kern and Sabrina Bullard, gave unique character and a fantasy vibe to the legions of foes that the adventurers faced, as did the impressive dragon props designed by Erin Downs and Jessica Moore.

In She Kills Monsters, the cast and crew of West Springfield High School brought the audience to laughter and tears. Their vibrant, honest performance taught that anyone can kill monsters, both literal and metaphorical.

Skylar Watkins
Thomas A. Edison High School
Submitted for publication to FCPS Community News

"In a time before Facebook, World of Warcraft, and Massive Multiplayer Online RPG's, there once existed simply a game. Forged by the hands of nerds, crafted in the minds of geeks, and so advanced in its advanciness it would take a whole second edition to contain all its mighty geekery." The game is Dungeons and Dragons, the time is 1995, and the place is suburban Ohio. Our story follows five adventurers as they journey through New Landia slaying gelatinous cubes, evil cheerleader succubi, and a five headed dragon. The catch is that our protagonist, Agnes, is not a geek. Agnes begins to play Dungeons and Dragons after the death of her younger sister, Tilly, in an attempt to connect with her sister. In what Agnes considers to be her last chance to get to know Tilly, Agnes joins her sister's party, Team Tilly, in its quest to recapture the Lost Soul of Athens.
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She Kills Monsters is a rare play about the female side of geekery. Originally published in 2012, written by playwright Qui Nguyen, it appeals to younger teenage audiences and adults alike. While She Kills Monsters is a fun comedy, it portrays serious subject matter in its overarching themes of sexuality, bullying, and the importance of family and friends.

Recently, West Springfield High School's Spartan Theatre Company boldly ventured through New Landia and embarked on a quest to entertain their audience. From the moment she first walked on stage slaying monsters Jane Schwartz (Tilly) captivated the audience. Eila Nash (Lilith) had an excellent overall performance being able to play both the fierce demon queen from Tilly's party as well as the shy and timid Lily, Tilly's real life crush. Similarly, Tessa Chaplin (Kaliope) was able to play both the confident dark elf of Tilly's party, as well as Tilly's real life friend, confined to a wheelchair. Brenden Blackwell (Orcus) embodied his demonic character with a frat boy personality, garnering many laughs. Delaney Fetzer (Agnes) shined, especially in the second act, portraying a wide range of emotions and funky dance moves. The adventurers all had great chemistry, making the fantasy world seem much more real, whereas Carden Warner (Chuck) provided comic relief as a bridge between the real world and the fantasy world of New Landia. While all of the actors had excellent comedic timing one especially stood out: Colin Jones (the Great Mage Steve).

The Spartan Theatre Company's party would not be complete without their technical production team. Costumes (Sabrina Bullard and Ariel Kern), and makeup (Ariel Kern), effectively took the audience into the fantasy world of New Landia. The fast makeup changes of fantasy characters like Orcus and the evil cheerleader succubi were impressive. Props (Alex Euwema and John Drake) also helped contribute to the fantasy world. Special effects (Erin Downs, Dagan Sartain, and Nicolette Bogdan) such as fog and strobe lights vividly added to the fight scenes.

As Agnes slayed the five headed dragon and the curtain drew closed, it was clear that the Spartan Theatre Company had successfully completed their quest to entertain. I can hardly wait to see what quests they pursue in the future.

Jessie Yu
Oakton High School
Submitted for publication to Patch.com

Dungeons and Dragons, an outdated game notorious for its popularity among stereotypical social outcasts, became a vessel for a woman to connect with her dead sister in She Kills Monsters. The cast and crew of West Springfield High School killed it as they took a witty script flawlessly to the stage and plunged their audience into the unique world of ‘90s role-playing games.

Written by Qui Nguyen, a dramatist well versed in "geek theatre", the play takes place in 1995 in Ohio and follows a schoolteacher, Agnes (Delaney Fetzer), who finds a D&D game created by her late younger sister, Tilly (Jane Schwartz). Enlisting the help of a geeky high school boy, Agnes embarks on an adventure to understand her sister and come to terms with her grief.

Delaney Fetzer's performance as Agnes was impeccable and entertaining. Her visible bewilderment of her sister's game was hilariously relatable, her practical physicality standing out in amusing contrast to her fantasy companions in the D&D world. As the story progressed, Fetzer handled Agnes' emotional character arc with touching sensibility. Appearing at her side to guide Agnes through the game, Jane Schwartz as Tilly struck a natural balance between the confident smart-aleck bickering with her sister and the vulnerable teenage girl wrought with feelings of loneliness and insecurity. The development of her dynamic with her sister was heartwarming to watch, from the gripping reveal and tender acceptance of Tilly's sexuality to heated arguments that culminated in Agnes confronting her guilt for never getting to know Tilly as a teenager.

Bringing a hilarious presence to the play, Carden Warner embodied the typical awkward teenager as Chuck, staying consistent with his cheeky mannerisms every second he was onstage. Employing perfect comedic timing and deftly delivered innuendos, the audience was choking with laughter through his interactions with every character, but particularly his first scene with Agnes' indignant boyfriend, Miles (Will Boone).

Another outstanding performance was one by Eila Nash, who played Lilith, a demon princess. Her ability to switch seamlessly from the leather-clad, fierce and passionate character in the D&D game to the diffident real-world counterpart of Lily showed extraordinary versatility and range in acting.

In addition to maintaining a lively and humorous energy in the show, most of the main cast and ensemble engaged in several scenes of stage combat, including a deadly dance-off. The battles were smoothly incorporated with superbly rehearsed choreography that brought the D&D world to life. With often three or four different pairs locked in combat at once, each performer fought with a style befitting the individual characters.

A simple set worked well for the show, with a single raised platform that allowed for electrifying battles and minimal scene changes paired with color shifts of the backdrop to indicate a switch from the real world to a fantasy world. Aiding greatly in these transitions were elaborate costumes and makeup, with mystical creatures in their earthen tones and otherworldly faces distinguished from the bright hues of their human counterparts. These transitions were instantaneous, and the cast and crew pulled off quick costume and makeup changes impressively to keep the story uninterrupted.

With an exemplary cast, intricate costumes, and thrillingly executed choreography, West Springfield High School's production of She Kills Monsters was an action-packed show full of humor and heart that was enjoyable for everyone, whether aligning with good, chaotic, neutral, or Democrat.

Matt Stevenson
Hayfield Secondary School
Submitted for publication to Connection

What would you do to talk to a lost loved one one more time? In Qui Nguyen's comedy on nerd culture, She Kills Monsters, Agnes puts herself into the Dungeon and Dragon world of her deceased sister Tilly. To further get to know her sister, Agnes embarks on a quest in the game with her sister which involves many tasks that vary from slaying a five-headed dragon to beating evil cheerleaders in a dance battle. As the quest progresses, Agnes learns many new things about Tilly that she didn't know while she was alive such as her sexual preference and what was going on in her school life. By gaining this new information about her sister, Agnes can cope with the loss of her sister and further move on with her life.

Throughout the show, the entire cast bonded well together as a whole, but it was apparent that each individual clique such as Team Tillius and the Succubi Cheerleaders had their own inner bond with each other. These bonds created greater conflict when the different groups collided. Agnes (Delaney Fetzer) was a constant outlier of all the groups since she was very unfamiliar with the world of D&D. But as she went through the laborious tasks with the other adventurers, she was slowly accepted into the team and formed an individual bond with all of them. Apart from this, Fetzer fully embodied the role of an unaware modern day adult and showed it very well to the audience. With her great comedic timing and warm hearted appeal, she brought the spectators along with her through her journey both inside and out of the game.

Tilly (Jane Schwartz) started off as Agnes' counterpart of the production, but it was clear to see the similarities and the bond the two sisters had as they completed their quest. Schwartz became the geek that Tilly was without playing a stereotype. Her powerful performance was shown though her in-depth characterization, energetic movements and overall strong stage presence. Her performance was fed by her surrounding characters, such as Lilith (Eila Nash), Kaliope (Tessa Chaplin), and Orcus (Brenden Blackwell). The collection of characters all added their own personal touch to the group and as an ensemble they worked perfectly together.

The technical aspects of the show were of great importance to this show in particular. With all of the different monsters and creatures that the adventurers face on their quest, costume, make-up and props were a necessity, and the production team was able to complete these task with ease. With intricate designs and features that made every costume and character different, the cast and crew made the audience feel as if they were in the game alongside the heroes.

As a whole, West Springfield's production was a fun-loving, hilarious two hours for people of all ages to enjoy. With subtle references to 90's culture and nerd humor, it truly was a spectacle like no other that was executed tremendously by a high school theatre.

Alexa Schwartzman
Oakton High School
Submitted for publication to Fairfax County Times

If you are a democrat, this show's for you. If you're a geeky, Dungeons and Dragons loving, 90's kid, this show is also for you. This show is perfect for anyone because West Springfield's production of She Kills Monsters had everyone in the audience, no matter what kind of person they were, laughing their heads off.

Written by Qui Nguyen, She Kills Monsters is a magical story of love, family, friends, and role-play. Twenty-five year old Agnes is dealing with the loss of her parents and fifteen year old sister, Tilly, as they recently died in a car crash. Agnes loved Tilly but they never really saw eye-to-eye. As a way to feel closer to her, Agnes decides to try to play Tilly's favorite game, Dungeons and Dragons. With the help of a nerdy high school kid, Agnes goes on an adventure through her sister's made up land, along side with characters who have a lot more meaning then they first seem to. As she learns to play, Agnes also discovers who her sister really was and is able to cope with her death.

From leads to ensemble, each and every member of the cast obviously dedicated a large amount of time to developing their character. Not only were lines delivered in ways that captivated the audience, their mannerisms and way they moved showed who they were on a deeper level. With perfect comedic timing, they were all able to convey the profound messages and honest struggles of characters in the story.

Lead actress Jane Schwartz, the woman behind Tilly, was groundbreaking. Rarely is an actress able to show such emotional depth while still talking and acting like an immature 15 year old. Her big sister, Agnes, played by Delaney Fetzer, really reached out as a person that was hurting because of the death of her family. Not only did she have an emotional break down, but she really broke it down on the dance floor. None of this could have been possible without the serious lady-killing, dungeon master, Chuck. Carden Warner was perfect in the role of Chuck and did a fabulous job making everyone chuckle with his purposely cringe-worthy personality.

Team Tilly was the typical, epic, fantasy squad. With Tessa Chaplin as Kaliope the elf, Brenden Blackwell as Orcus the chill Overlord of the Underworld, and Eila Nash as Lilith the strong, provocative, side-kick, this team killed it on stage. Their awesome chemistry made it fun and funny to watch. However, the real star of the show was Steve. Played by Colin Jones, Steve popped up in the most ideal moments only to be slaughtered in the most ludicrous ways, never failing to get the audience laughing.

The costumes in this show were very impressive. Somehow, Tilly, Lilith, and Kaliope were able to fight battles in skimpy outfits designed to be both risqué and powerful. Costumes in the real world were much more colorful than those in the game. Monsters were very intricate and even those in the same ensemble had variety to their costume. Makeup was another highlight in this show. The fast changes from a normal face to a glowing red body, by Orcus, and to white skin with bloody fangs, by the evil cheerleaders was done faster than you could say Dungeons and Dragons.

This show had everything from spunky fairies to gelatinous cubes and West Springfield truly did a marvelous job at bringing all to life. The display of talent in the cast and crew was put to good use and made for a wonderful evening of entertainment.