UC San Diego Department of Theatre & Dance to Present SHE KILLS MONSTERS

The UC San Diego Department of Theatre and Dance presents She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen, directed by Jennifer Chang.

A comedic romp into the world of fantasy role-playing games, She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly's Dungeons & Dragons notebook, she stumbles into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was Tilly's refuge.

The show runs from Dec. 6-9 at 7:30 PM with a matinee on Saturday, Dec. 9 at 2:00 PM. Performances are in the Theodore and Adele Shank Theatre in the Joan and Irwin Jacobs Theatre District on UC San Diego's campus: 2910 La Jolla Village Drive, La Jolla, CA. For information about parking, see the website.

Tickets are $20 for regular performances. Subscriptions and group rates are available. Student tickets are $10 for regular performances. Faculty, staff, alumni and senior citizen discounts available as well. Tickets can be purchased online or by calling the box office at (858) 534-4574.

The cast features Elizabeth Blackwell (Monster / Co-Fight Captain), Abigail Button (Cheerleader Gabbi / Evil Gabbi), Gina Cioffi (Cheerleader Tina / Evil Tina), Paola Diaz (Orcus), Hananh Folk (Monster / Co-Fight Captain), Gabrielle Gangitano (Narrator), Sarah Gray (Vera), Mrigank Khemka (Miles), Erin Li (Lilly / Lillith), Ariana Mahallan (Agnes), Micaela Martinez (Tilly), Ally McGreevy (Chuck), Kristiana Rosas (Kaliope), Abby Sherlock (Monster / Co-Fight Captain), Anirudh Ravi (Steve).

The production staff includes Jennifer Chang (Director), Nancy Chao (Scenic Designer), Samantha Englander (Costume Designer), Michelle Yang Xiao (Lighting Designer), James Reid (Sound Designer), Dr. Grace Jun (Choreographer), Thomas Morinaka (Fight Choreographer), Thomas McCurdy (Associate Fight Choreographer), Natalie Robichaux (Movement Coach), Julie Burelle (Dramaturg), Bryan Clements (Assistant Director), Teagan Rutkowski (Second Assistant Director), Shiwen [Sherlock] Le (Assistant Scenic Designer), Evan Kwong (Assistant Costume Designer), Louis Chen (Assistant Stage Manager), Tyler Larson (Production Stage Manager), Louis [Yuanyang] Chen (Assistant Stage Manager), Amber Dettmers (Assistant Stage Manager.)

About the playwright: Qui Nguyen is a Vietnamese American playwright and fight director. He is an artistic director of Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company. Qui's plays include Vietgone, Soul Samurai, The Inexplicable Redemption of Agent G, Alice in Slasherland, Fight Girl Battle World, Krunk Fu Battle Battle, She Kills Monsters, Trial By Water, Living Dead in Denmark, Stained Glass Ugly, A Beginner's Guide to Deicide, Men of Steel, Bike Wreck, and Vampire Cowboy Trilogy. He is a member of New Dramatists, Ensemble Studio Theatre, The Playwrights' Center, and the Ma-Yi Theater Company's Writers Lab.

About the director: Professor Chang received her M.F.A. from the University of California, San Diego in 2006, where she was a recipient of an Arthur Wagner Scholarship and an Excellence in Teaching Award. She received her B.F.A with Honors from New York University's Tisch School of the Arts at the Experimental Theatre Wing, double-majoring in Psychology. Her research interests include immersive theatre experiences, site-specific or site-responsive adaptations of classical and new work, new play development, and puppetry. Her work has been honored with an Ovation Award and the Stage Scene LA award, among others. Jennifer is a founding member of Chalk Repertory Theatre where she served as Artistic Producing Director and produced, directed, and acted in numerous plays over the course of eight seasons. Other directing credits include Animals Out of Paper at East West Players (LA Times Critics Pick), Edith Can Shoot Things and Hit Them for Artists at Play (GLAAD Media Award and Ovation Award Nominated) and Our American Story at the Japanese American National Museum. She continues to be very active in the development of new plays with Circle X Theatre Company, Playwrights Arena, Chalk Rep, and East West Players among others. She has acted in productions at South Coast Rep, East West Players, Company of Angels, Mixed Blood Theatre, Fulton Opera House, and the National Asian American Theatre Company, among others. Television credits include "Mom," "Two and a Half Men," "NCIS:LA," "Parenthood," "Medium," "The Paul Reiser Show," "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" and others, and numerous national commercials. She has taught in the conservatory at the East West Players and has been a guest artist and guest director at USC, and at Texas State University, San Marcos for the Black and Latino Playwrights Conference. Most recently, she managed and directed a new work commissioned by the Japanese American National Museum and East West Players commemorating the 75th Anniversary of Executive Order 9066. She is a member of the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA), Actor's Equity Association (AEA), and an associate member of the Stage Directors and Choreographer's Society (SDC). She is an alumnus of Director's Lab West and a Finalist for the 2017 National Directing Fellowship at the Eugene O'Neill Theatre Center. As Head of the Undergraduate Acting program, she advises students, oversees curriculum, and teaches core undergraduate courses in theatre, as well as directs productions for the department.

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