(Left to right) Emily Broski as Agnes and Helena Michalski as Tilly in the Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts’ production of “She Kills Monsters.” Credit: J. Briggs Cormier
With the roll of a dice, audiences can be transported to a beautiful albeit dangerous fantasy world in Ohio State’s upcoming production of “She Kills Monsters.”
Besides kicking off Ohio State’s 2023-24 theater season, “She Kills Monsters” will be the first production performed in the new Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts Building on College Road. “She Kills Monsters,” produced by the Department of Theatre, Film, and Media Arts, explores universal themes including death, grief and identity, according to the department’s website.
J. Briggs Cormier — the play’s director and an adjunct assistant professor within the department — said the play follows Agnes Evans as she copes with the sudden death of her younger sister Tilly. After discovering a Dungeons & Dragons module created by Tilly, Agnes embarks on a personal growth journey and begins to understand who Tilly truly is, Cormier said.
“She makes a discovery as she goes through a process of playing the game, and learning some hard truths about her family and her sister before she died,” Cormier said.
Cormier said “She Kills Monsters” has been a long time coming, as auditions were held in April and rehearsals started at the beginning of fall semester.
“I started working on the show probably back in almost a year ago,” Cormier said.
The show is entirely produced by Ohio State students, with the exception of lighting designer Maranda DeBusk, an assistant professor in the department, Cormier said.
Emily Broski, who is portraying Agnes Evans in the production, said a busy school schedule is one of the biggest challenges she has faced during the weeks leading up to opening night.
“It’s not about just the acting anymore,” Broski, a fifth-year in theatre and psychology, said. “You are adding all these things in, and that obviously never works out as planned.”
The show features intense fight choreography that allows the audience to witness a significant amount of on-stage combat, Broski said.
“As the lead character, I am in almost every single fight we do,” Broski said. “It has been more surprisingly and physically exhausting than I’m used to.”
Performing in the new building for the first time is thrilling yet nerve-wracking because the cast and crew are still learning the functionality of some equipment, Cormier said.
“It’s been a learning process for us as we’ve figured out how things work,” Cormier said. “But it’s really exciting to present this.”
Broski said being a part of the first show in the new building is exciting, despite experiencing some minor technical struggles — such as difficulties with the automated rigging equipment — due to their relative inexperience in the new facility.
“It’s an honor, but it adds challenges,” she said.
Cormier said the play’s climax is especially impressive, as it features a vicious battle with a five-headed dragon.
“I think that there’s a really beautiful, special, magical moment where those dragon heads are revealed,” Cormier said.
Cormier said he anticipates the audience will appreciate this show largely due to the amount of effort the cast and crew put into production.
“I think [the show] is really exciting, fun [and] with a lot of spectacles, which we hope will entertain our students as the very first production in a brand new building on campus,” Cormier said.
Broski agreed.
“It’s the most spectacular show I’ve seen from OSU,” she said.
“She Kills Monsters” will run from Thursday to Nov. 3 from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m., in the Proscenium Theatre space. Tickets can be purchased online here, over the phone or in person at the Ohio State Theatre ticket office.
