Cast members and the director reflect on how they brought the production to life
By GRACIELA TIU — features@theaggie.org
Presented by the UC Davis Department of Theatre and Dance, the play “She Kills Monsters” will have its opening night on Thursday, Nov. 21. Directed by Lucas Hatton, who received a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in the dramatic arts in 2017, the production dives into topics of grief, bullying and the connection between siblings through fantasy games and the use of humor.
“[The show] has been produced frequently in colleges and universities in particular,” Hatton said. “[We] wanted a show that students would be excited about and that would be a fun theater-going experience, but not shy away from some of the more serious or important themes.”
With initial discussions about the play taking place in early 2024, auditions in April and rehearsals beginning in the fall, the cast and crew have been working hard to bring the unique show to life.
The show is a story of two sisters and the depth of their relationship. After the untimely death of the younger sister, Tilly Evans, Agnes Evans finds her sister’s notebook and discovers that her love for the game Dungeons and Dragons has brought her to a fantasy world inspired by the game.
“The play is so rich,” Hatton said. “Every night [that] I watch a run-through, there [are] new things that pop out of it. While the play has a lot of fanciful elements and some silliness, there is also an emotional truth in it in terms of the challenges and difficulties that the characters face. The way to have that resonate is to approach it with respect and honesty — allow[ing] for a journey that the characters take scene by scene and moment by moment — rather than hinting at it or doing something stylistic where it feels less sincere.”
Melanie Garcia, a second-year theatre and dance major who plays Tilly, said she hopes the show’s relatable and emotional themes will resonate with audiences.
“I hope that they take something away from it,” Garcia said. “I think it shows a lot of real topics that a lot of people shy away from because they’re just so out there and vulgar, but they are true stories [that] need to be told. So I hope that if [people] have been through those kinds of things, it’ll help them see that they’re not alone, and that other people and even fictional characters have been through things that they have also been through.”
Lana Lindley, a fourth-year theatre and dance major who plays Agnes, said the production spotlights two sisters and their meaningful connection to each other, which even traverses life and death as they journey between realms.
“She’s a very smart and independent woman; She’s 24 in the show, and she is dealing with a lot of grief after her family died,” Lindley said. “She’s a really thoughtful and considerate sister, friend and girlfriend — but because she’s dealing with the death of her family, she has a lot of grief that she’s suffering with at the same time, so her relationships are very complex.”
Lindley reflected on how exploring her character’s traits, personality and past experiences strengthened her acting.
“Playing Agnes has really challenged me as an actor,” Lindley said. “She has so many complexities [in] her personality, and it’s difficult to play on stage but in the best way possible. She’s not a simple, static character — she’s very dynamic, so it’s really fun to play.”
Garcia described how she feels the audience might relate to her character.
“I play Tilly Evans, Agnes’ little sister, and she’s very unique in her own way, but [I] also feel like a lot of people can relate to her,” Garcia said. “She’s just this little teenager that is obsessed with Dungeons and Dragons — she’s very silly and confident in herself but also has moments where you see through her facade of [being] this strong person and see who she actually is on the inside.”
Starting at the beginning of the quarter, rehearsals were from 6 to 10 p.m. on weekdays and 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays, with tech week — the final week before opening night — taking place from Nov. 14 to 20 and bringing additional hours to their rehearsals.
“A lot of my days, dare I say every day, have become super busy, and it’s hard, but you find ways to work around it,” Lindley said. “But it’s so exciting and rewarding, especially now that it’s almost here.”
Along with student cast members and professional technical designers, the production also features the work of assistant student crew members.
“We have faculty, who are the primary designers, and then there’s a head of the scene shop as well,” Hatton said. “Each of those areas: lighting, sound, projection and scenic, each has at least one assistant designer who is a student, and I also have a student assistant director.”
Students also had the opportunity to work with an outside professional to refine the fight scenes in the show.
“We got to work with a fight choreographer who came in from New York and that was super cool,” Lindley said. “His name is Dan, and he was so much fun to work with. It was also really cool getting to learn how to do fight scenes and how to not hurt someone.”
Lindley said spending hours working and collaborating on set brought many student cast members closer together.
“The cast has been extremely nice and friendly,” Lindley said. “We’re all super outgoing and very extroverted. I would say times in the green room, [where we] hang out either before rehearsal or during a quick break, are always fun. We’re all just on our phones but also telling each other funny things that happened during our days, and it’s a little bit of time to just debrief with each other.”
The show will run from Nov. 21 to 23 and Dec. 5 to 7, with tickets available for purchase on the UC Davis Department of Theatre and Dance website.
“Watching the run last night, I think we’ve created a really inviting and exciting world and experience,” Hatton said. “I hope that as many people come to see and enjoy this play as possible.”
Written by: Graciela Tiu — features@theaggie.org
