During an afternoon visit to the Black Box Theater, swords were swinging, the painted floor glowed in the dark, a pair of cheerleaders dropped to the ground, and contestants in a dance challenge showed off their moves. As the cast and crew of the fall play focused on their final days of rehearsals, there was no question that this inspired production of “She Kills Monsters” would be entertaining, touching, hilarious and expertly performed.
According the play’s director, Head of Lower School Arts & Integration and Drama Teacher Sarah Bellantoni, “She Kills Monsters” is an homage to the geek and warrior inside each of us. Featuring ferocious fairies, 90’s pop culture and full-on stage combat, “Monsters” tells the story of high school student Agnes Evans as she copes with the death of her younger sister, Tilly. When Agnes comes across Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, she finds herself thrown into a journey of discovery in the imaginary world that was her sister’s refuge. Written by Qui Nguyen, the 75-minute show is appropriate for audience members 12 years old and up.
Performances will be held tomorrow, November 18, at 6:00 p.m.; Friday, November 19 at 7:00 p.m. and Saturday, November 20 at 3:00 p.m. A limited audience is invited to watch in the Black Box Theater (family members of the cast and crew and Upper School students receive priority seating). A livestream option is also available for the school community to enjoy here: https://livestream.com/accounts/1447393/chapinus2021fallplay
Cast Members:
Manha Awais (Class 10), “Agnes”
Khushi Bhutra (Class 10), “Evil Tina”
Annabelle Borsanyi (Class 9), “Miles”
Kaitlyn Davis (Class 9), “Orcus/Ronnie”
Celestine Deaton (Class 8), “Steve”
Isabel Glantz (Class 8), “Evil Gabbi”
Tildy Hirschhorn (Class 10), “Tilly”
Summer Love (Class 9), “Vera”
Alessandra Poso (Class 8), “Farrah the Faerie”
Susie Steinberg (Class 9), “Lilith/Lilly”
Kennedy Thompson (Class 11), “Kaliope/Kelly”
Jamie Vera (Class 11) “Chuck”
Tech Crew:
Lucy Bland (Class 9), Running Crew
Taylor Dessler (Class 8), Sound Board Operator
Jayden Hall (Class 9), Running Crew
Emily Limb (Class 10), Build Crew
Fauziah Uddin (Class 10), Build Crew
Sarah Bellantoni, Director
Paige Seber, Set and Lighting Design
Livvie Goble, Costume Design
Cover Art by Kaityln Davis (Class 9)
Best of luck to the entire “She Kills Monsters” ensemble! We’re so proud of you!
