“She Kills Monster,” an EF Academy Theater Production, premiered on November 29th at the Boston Court Theater. The plot of the play is concentrated around family bonds, teenage difficulties, and discovering your sexuality. This play is specifically designed to be performed by high-school students, due to the relatability of the content: teenage fears and insecurities. The main storyline introduces the audience to a tale of how an extraordinarily ordinary high-school cheerleader, Agnes, slowly discovers the true identity of her sister, who passed away not long ago.
Agnes – a seemingly regular girl from Ohio, is played by Olivia Nordboe, a Norwegian senior who discovered her passion for acting long ago. Agnes comes from an average family. She is in a relationship with football player Miles and has a best friend named Vera. Agnes wishes that “she wouldn’t have such a geeky sister” who she believes is ruining her reputation. After the passing of Tilly, she recovers her journal and realizes that she used to be a huge enthusiast of Dungeons and Dragons. She reaches out to a Dungeon Master by the name of Chuck and asks him to play that story described in Tilly’s journal, which leads to her adventure in a whole new world of monsters, magic, geeks, and nerds.
Tilly, aka Tillius, played by Ari Duan, a junior whose acting skills were a highlight of the play, is a younger sister of Agnes. Unlike Agnes, Tilly is nowhere near regular. While her sister cares about music trends and boys, Tilly is running around, causing havoc and caring about things that are too “geeky” for a girl. Later in the play, the audience discovers Tilly has been being bullied at school because of her sexuality, which she kept hidden from her sister.
Tilly, however, finds a way to escape the situation at school and express herself by storing her feelings in her D&D journal in the form of a campaign. Tilly also finds acceptance and true friendship among a bunch of “nerds” who all find peace and confidence only while playing Dungeons & Dragons.
Chuck, played by Cash Camacho, a sophomore who assisted in directing, took the performance to a new level, as a famous D&D known Dungeon Master in the city of Athens, Ohio. He is a very social and seemingly carefree guy, narrating everything that happens within the campaign. For the majority of the play, he is presented as a humorous guy, but on rare occasions, you can see his true nature – Chuck is very caring and understanding, he respects Agnes’s boundaries and reflects on things she tells him about.
The total number of students involved in preparation and performance is nearly 30, which makes it among the most collaborative accomplishments the school has seen. Every single student, whether performing or helping behind the stage, had significantly helped the EF Academy Production of “She Kills Monsters” to become the play that impressed everyone. Lead Director, Mrs. Johnson claims: “I think the thing I am proud of the most is how the show brought the EF community together. Like we are one family, not just performers on stage”.
Along with the student actors and theater production crew, Mrs. Dora Johnson and Mr. Carl Johnson, the Director Chief, and the Inventory Chief, helped bring this production to life in only 3 months. “Every practice that we have, everyone is just trying to be better. We don’t stop at 100%; we just continue pushing it at every rehearsal,” says Mrs. Johnson. This amount of effort and commitment will hopefully become a tradition that EF will be proud to continue in the future.
