The Theatre Department’s spring production of She Kills Monsters premieres May 1! Click here to get tickets, and read more about the show below from Theatre Department Chair Ben Dicke.
Photo above of She Kills Monsters rehearsal by Michele Marie Photography.
When deciding on a Spring show this year, how did you choose She Kills Monsters?
Honestly, when we are talking about show selection, it always begins with the ensemble. Who are the students we currently have and what are the plays that match well with their strengths? This year, the mitigating constraints regarding in-person work also led us to shows that we thought might pair well with greater technology use. She Kills Monsters takes place in multiple worlds and for the last year as we’ve all spent so much time gathering and meeting online, that this play seemed to pair very well.
In 4 sentences or less, tell us about this production.
She Kills Monsters tells the story of Agnes, a high school teacher who has lost her little sister Tilly some years ago in a car accident. While packing up Tilly’s bedroom, Agnes discovers her sister’s Dungeons and Dragons notebook and decides to play the game as a means of getting to know her sister better. The process of playing the game, like any examination into someone else’s life, is one of self-discovery for Agnes.
Tell us about the special technical aspects of this show. Ie. new equipment purchased and used.
The Theatre Department here at The Academy has garnered a reputation for marrying ambitious technical elements to compelling plays expertly performed by our dedicated students. Because of the parameters surrounding COVID-19 safety, this current production will involve technical aspects far beyond anything attempted by this department. In fact, we believe we are attempting some technical innovations not attempted anywhere outside of the largest Hollywood production studios.
In fact, Hollywood does this type of green screen filtering and marrying in post-production. We are attempting to do it live.
We are attempting to marry through green screen technology, multiple actors across multiple spaces and limiting their contact with one another through a layering process and a shared background. We have built seven different green screen performance spaces throughout the theatre wing with sound, lighting, and camera equipment all running to one central hub. The hub controls and then blends the spaces and actors into one single output for the audience streaming the production.
Faculty members Buck Blue, who serves as our production manager, and Sarah Grant, our virtual background designer, have built an inventive world that takes the audience between Agnes’ reality and the fantasy elements of a Dungeons and Dragons realm. In addition, faculty member Emily Luhrs has built the costumes and creature designs for our company of 14 actors. Music Department faculty member Jack Murray is also designing and managing the live sound we’ll need for a cohesive production.
Of all of the negative aspects of putting this production together during covid, what is one positive thing that has come out of this time.
I think that our ensemble is as tight-knit as ever. That community is entirely the result of the student’s pulling together and relying on one another this year.
How many hours a week do the students put into rehearsing together and individually.
The students are currently rehearsing together an average of ten hours per week. Because of limited building access due to COVID-19 safety protocols, this is quite a bit less than in a normal year. That means their individual rehearsal, which consists of reviewing lines, blocking, and notes on character and relationship, becomes even more crucial to the success of the production.
Tell us about the stage combat skills/training that went into this production.
Our fight designer, Alison Dornheggen, has brought so many wonderful ideas to the combat in this show. She has led our production team in a number of great discussions about the world of the play and the relationships of the characters. In addition, Alison has supplied us with real steel weaponry, which is an amazing opportunity for our students. The combat sections are going to slay! (Safely, of course.)
As opening night approaches, what are you the most excited about?
So much of this year has been about navigating new territory for our arts discipline. All of the discoveries we made during our incredibly successful live-streamed productions of Brainstorm and Love & Information last semester and our four-production Shakespeare Festival in January have led us to this moment. Even last spring’s senior showcase that forced us to produce on zoom and this year’s senior showcase that gave us a chance to test out this green screen technology have played a pivotal role in the making of this show.
Looking back at this year, our faculty and students have learned so much. All of that learning is coming to the massive culmination that is She Kills Monsters: A Live multi-media spectacular. It’s already a success even before it opens. That has me excited every day.