SHE KILLS MONSTERS Comes to Rorschach Theatre

A dramatic comedy about the world of fantasy role-playing games, SHE KILLS MONSTERS tells the story of Agnes Evans as she comes to terms with the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When she finds Tilly's Dungeons & Dragons notebook, she embarks on an adventure in the imaginary world that was Tilly's refuge. In this high-octane comedy laden with homicidal fairies, nasty ogres, and 90s pop culture, acclaimed playwright Qui Nguyen (VIETGONE) offers a heart-pounding homage to the geek and warrior within us all.

Nguyen's script mixes pop-culture savvy humor with themes of overcoming loss and what it means to be queer in the 90s, and in doing so creates something wholly original. The Washington Post said of Rorschach's 2014 production:

"The production, directed with some clever touches by Randy Baker, is enveloped in a cheeky, pop-cultural nostalgia... [But] the affecting conclusion of "She Kills Monsters" affirms it as more than a glib riff on nerd culture. Agnes may have to become immersed in make-believe to connect with Tilly, but what she gains through all the shenanigans feels real."

Re-imagined for 2019, this production will include site-specific elements that bring audiences into unseen places throughout the Atlas Performing Arts Center.

PLEASE NOTE: The 15-minute immersive experience that begins the show will require audiences to move through multiple non-theatrical spaces. These spaces are ADA accessible and there will be accommodations made for those who need to sit, but please contact info@rorschachtheatre.com if you have any questions.

Qui Nguyen is a playwright and TV/Film writer. His work, known for its innovative use of pop-culture, stage violence, puppetry, and multimedia, has been lauded as "Culturally Savvy Comedy" by The New York Times , "Tour de Force Theatre" by Time Out New York , and "Infectious Fun" by Variety. His plays include VIETGONE (2016 Steinberg Award, 2016 LADCC Ted Schmidt New Play Award, 2016 Kennedy Prize Finalist); POOR YELLA REDNECKS; LIVING DEAD IN DENMARK (Produced by Rorschach in 2009), among others. For TV/film, Qui's written for AMC, SYFY, PBS, and Marvel Studios, where he is an alumni of the Marvel Studios Writers Program. He currently writes for Netflix and Walt Disney Animation Studios. His company, Vampire Cowboys is often credited for being the pioneers of "geek theatre."

More about Qui Nguyen: quinguyen.com

Directed by Rorschach Theatre co-Artistic Director Randy Baker, SHE KILLS MONSTERS features a cast and creative team of both emerging and established local artists. The cast includes Jordan Brown, Christina Day, Anna DiGiovanni, Danielle Gallo, Darius Johnson, Briana Manente, Mary May, Alanna McNaughton, Lori Pitts, Andrew Quilpa, Daniel Westbrook, and Stephanie Wilson. The Design team include Company Member and Helen Hayes Award-winning Debra Kim Sivigny (Set) and Company Member Kylos Brannon (Video), with Julie Cray Leong (Costumes), Brian S. Allard (lights), and Kenny Neal (Sound).

Company Member Casey Kaleba returns to choreograph the fights and is joined by company member Megan Reichelt to assist him. Kaleba has a long list of credits having coordinated violence for opera, television, music videos, and more than 400 productions with professional, community, and academic theatres.

"The fights in SHE KILLS MONSTERS take us back to our roots - in the backyard with sticks and forts and dragons and magic," says Kaleba about the production, "We want to recreate that fantastic feeling of freedom that came from summer afternoons, or at three in the morning with a game master and Cheetos and some dice, or the sense of fun when we pick up a prop sword for the first time, and bring that sense of fun and play into the action."

More about Casey Kaleba: https://www.toothandclawcombat.com/about

Randy Baker is a playwright, director and the co-Artistic Director of Rorschach Theatre in Washington DC. Recent projects with Rorschach include writing the play FORGOTTEN KINGDOMS and directing VERY STILL AND HARD TO SEE (Five Helen Nominations including Best Director). He has directed numerous other shows with Rorschach including the first run of SHE KILLS MONSTERS as well as THE ELECTRIC BABY, THE MINOTAUR, and AFTER THE QUAKE, among countless others. Some recent shows he has directed outside of Rorschach include the seven-room living installation piece, HELLO, MY NAME IS... at The Welders (Three Helen Hayes nominations including Best Director), a shadow puppet gamelan-inspired A MIDSUMMER NIGHT'S DREAM at WSC Avant Bard, and his own adaptation of RASHōMON at American University. His adaptation of THE LEGEND OF HANG TUAH will premiere at Pointless Theatre next summer.

"SHE KILLS MONSTERS has to be the funniest play about grief I've ever read and the staging for 2019 allows audiences to experience that story in a new way," Baker says about the production. "This production's staging is more intimate. It begins with small groups engaging in an immersive journey through a number of locations and settles into a space that will allow audiences to feel the wind from the swish of every sword. Its intimacy is thrilling but it also allows for delicate character moments that wouldn't be possible in a larger space."

More about Randy Baker: randybakerdc.com

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