Imagination Stage's Acting Conservatory to Present SHE KILLS MONSTERS

Imagination Stage's Acting Conservatory will perform She Kills Monsters, a comedic play set in a fantasy world, April 24-26, 2015 in the Christopher and Dana Reeve Theatre. She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen intertwines reality with fantasy to create an introspective look at the warrior within all of us.

She Kills Monsters runs in Imagination Stage's Reeve Theatre April 24-25, 2015 at 7:30 p.m. and April 26, 2015 at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are $10 per person, and may be purchased online at www.imaginationstage.org, at the Imagination Stage box office, or via phone at 301?280?1660.

"Much like the two worlds that She Kills Monsters straddles, this production jumps from one performance style to another," says Director Elena Velasco. "We have the flashy world of a live-action Dungeons and Dragons game, complete with monsters, swords, and histrionics. We then suddenly move to a land of seeming realism, one with deep-seated prejudices and incredible loss. In many ways, it's a roller coaster ride; there are highs and lows. We're asking our audience to take part in that - to be swept away by imagination in order to make sense of this world."

Comprised of 13 students from across the DC metro area ranging from grades 8-11, the Acting Conservatory is an audition-based, two-year, program dedicated to intensive, pre-professional acting training. The first three semesters are spent studying technique (character building, script analysis, movement work, and scene work). The fourth and final semester is spent applying their acquired skills towards rehearsing and performing a fully supported production with a guest team of directors and designers from the professional theatre community of Washington, DC. The directorial staff has a vested interest in getting to know each student personally, and in turn holds high expectations for every performer. This opportunity allows them to apply their technical skills to a performance environment.

Directed by Elena Velasco, She Kills Monsters is designed by an entire team of professional designers and artists, including Brittany Diliberto (Lighting Designer), Collin Ranney (Costume Designer), Bob Pike (Sound Designer), Maya Chandran (Stage Manager), Ruthmarie Tenorio (Scenic Designer), Madison Bahr (Props Designer), J. Robert Raines (Fight Choreographer), and Imagination Stage student Katherine Collamore (Assistant Director/Choreographer).