written by Alistair Hunter, Vice President, Downey Arts Coalition
Warren High’s ‘She Kills Monsters’ slashes expectations with stellar performance
Upon entering Warren High School’s intimate Emerson Theatre we are immediately immersed in the music of the 90’s. Our eyes are drawn to the stage which is a huge elaborate multilayered dungeon with two flickering torches high above. A spectacular spiral staircase leads to the top. There is a mysterious entrance to a cave stage right. And a dark area in center stage from which the magic of theatre will bring forth characters, sets, puppet screens, projections, monsters, and an enormous dragon. The lighting grid above that will facilitate this magic is filled with lighting equipment that would be the envy of any small theatre in Los Angeles.
THE PLAY
This is our introduction to the Drama Department’s presentation of Vietnamese-American playwright Qui Nguyen’s early award-winning play “She Kills Monsters” (2011). Even though Nguyen has moved on to more significant plays, and writing for Disney, this play has a life of its own. It has been staged more than 800 times.
The New York Times referred to it as a “deceptively breezy and somewhat ingenious comedy.”
Nguyen says he based the character of Chuck, the Dungeon Master, on his best friend in school who helped him understand the subtleties of the English language, saved him from bullies, and introduced him to the role playing game Dungeons and Dragons (D&D).
DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS
D&D is celebrating its 50th anniversary. I remember in the 70’s, with my young son, trying to find The War House, a store in Long Beach in search of the rules to D&D. I have seen young people, hours on end, gathered around the dining room table with my son, the Dungeon Master, spinning fantastic stories of their adventure and twists of fate with each roll of these odd-shaped dice. The characters form a party and interact with the setting’s inhabitants and each other. Together they collaborate, solve problems, engage in battles, explore, and gather treasure and knowledge.
It’s important for students and audiences to have the opportunity to experience new styles of theatre by artists that reflect on contemporary issues in our society.
To his credit, Kyle Deichman (drama teacher, director, and production designer), has selected the original script, not Nguyen’s later adaptation for high schools.
Diechman says, “When I read the play, I felt the students would appreciate it. I knew they played Dungeons and Dragons, so what better play to launch their performance year.”
THE PLAYWRIGHT
Nguyen is one of our leading contemporary playwrights. He is the founder and artistic director of the Obie Award-winning Vampire Cowboys Theatre Company (2000), which began on the campus of Ohio State University in Athens, Ohio, where “She Kills Monsters” takes place in 1996. Vampire Cowboys are recognized as the creators of Geek Theatre, a unique theatre form that often incorporates action, adventure, fantasy, gaming, and comic book themes into live theatre.
I have been fortunate to see the world premieres of two of Nguyen’s later exceptional plays: “VietGone” (2015), a high-energy comic look at his parents’ romance in an American Vietnamese refugee camp, and “Poor Yella Rednecks” (2019) the sequel, a similar look at his family’s relocation to Arkansas. Both were commissioned by South Coast Repertory Theatre (SCR) in Costa Mesa. SCR’s commitment to new playwrights was one of the theatres that influenced my founding as artistic/administrative director of Los Angeles’s award winning Off Off Broadway storefront Scorpio Rising Theatre (1969-1989).
THE PLAY, THE PLOT, THE THEMES
“She Kills Monsters” is a dramatic comedy that tells the story of Agnes Evans, a 25-year-old high school teacher who has recently lost her parents and little sister, Tilly, in a car accident. Agnes was never close to Tilly. They seemed to live in different worlds. Agnes loved everything trendy and 90’s pop culture, while Tilly had no interest in that, but had a passion for everything we might view as nerdy or geeky. She had a special love for Dungeons and Dragons.
In her grief, Agnes is packing up Tilly’s room in order to move everything to her place with her boyfriend. She finds a book and a strange map that Tilly had written for D&D. She seeks out Dungeon Master Chuck, and with his help plays the role-playing game Tilly has designed. As she delves deeper into her quest, the fantasy world and reality begin to collide and mix as Agnes searches to connect with Tilly and realizes how much of her sister she never knew.
The story takes place in reality and in the imaginary game world of D&D. Strong female characters are leaders wielding swords and defeating monsters and demons. Agnes discovers how Tilly struggled with her sexuality and also with being bullied at school.
It is the students in the audience that are particularly moved, reacting and cheering on the positive characters throughout the play. That’s what the Groundlings in Shakespeare’s audiences did.
PRODUCTION DESIGN
With a limited budget, and a large classroom converted into a theatre, Deichman is a gifted production designer giving us this exceptional set, lighting, and sound. It is significant how much he has allowed his students to take responsibly for the production. Deichman recognizes Nathaniel Lopez as a driving force behind the construction of the set, molding of the rocks, and the fight choreography; Ana Trebizo, who designed the costumes, built the masks, the beholder and took on the role of stage manager at the last minute; and Warren High School art teacher William Russell and his sons, who designed and painted the spiral staircase and doors.
One ingenious moment is the surprising emergence of a five-headed dragon, in beautiful work of theatrical puppetry.
CAST AND CHARACTERS
Narrator: Aneshka Bolanos and Hailey Cotzajay
Agnes: Italy Pinedo
Miles: Nathaniel Lopez
Chuck: Adam Simental
Orcus/Ronnie: Ryan Chalhoub
Bug Bear: Diego Velazquez
Bug Bear: Roger Sanchez
Steve/Student: Brady Stoll
Tilly: Calinda Madrigal and Brianna Salomon-Fernandez
Goblin/Beholder: Maxine Reyes
Lileth: Aeris Rivera
Vera/Evil Gaby: Audrina Tafolla
Farrah the Faerie/Evil Tina: Melody Vera
Kaliope: Yareth Alaniz
ADDITIONAL CREW
Lights: Brianna Salomon
Sound: Alex Ruelas
Makeup: Mandy Silva, Desiree Tesso
Running Crew: Hannah Johnson, Sarahi Benitez, Maxine Reyes, Diego Velazquez
Deichman credits Warren High Principal Dr. Cari White for her support, along with the Downey Unified School District Board of Education and California voters who approved Prop 28 supporting arts programs in schools.
NEXT UP ROMEO & JULIET
Always up for a challenge, this spring, the WHS Drama Department will present its first ever “Shakespeare In The Park,” in the school’s front grass bowl area off Paramount and DePalma. Now that’s a challenge and an opportunity.
Revisiting Downey High’s production of ‘The Laramie Project’
Why tell a story of a Downey High School drama production that has come and gone?
Because we celebrate the achievements of our students, teachers, and the voices of art in the community.
Because it’s not unlike telling the stories of sports games, or community events that have come and gone.
Because as Shakespeare said, “The play’s the thing.” The literature of theatre speaks to our times and our humanity.
Long after our prehistoric ancestors told stories around their campfire and drew stories on the walls of caves, the Greeks gave us Drama. They held a mirror up to society and the Greek Chorus commented directly to the audience.
Chris Nelson’s DHS Drama Department is an ambitious one. In November they presented “The Laramie Project” (2000).
In the audience at the performance I attended was DUSD Board member Nancy Swenson, and former DUSD President and City Council Member Donald LaPlante, along with Jennifer LaMar, Columbus High School Visual Arts Teacher.
The set is the DHS Little Theatre itself. Perhaps it’s significant that on the auditorium walls were posted the Six Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness; Respect; Responsibility; Fairness; Caring; and Citizenship.
For the setting, LaMar has painted a beautiful mural spanning the stage that captures the open land and sky of Wyoming, including the sign “Laramie, Wyoming, Population 26687.”
A fence. Minimal set pieces and costumes. A cast of 20 actors are introduced as residents of Laramie and they tell us in their own words the story that unfolds.
Act One: Introduces the audience to Laramie’s social climate.
Act Two: Focuses on the murder and trial.
Act Three: Explores the aftermath of the events
This is not an easy play. It is a challenge for these young actors to have the skills and empathy to put themselves in the shoes of these wildly divergent characters and opinions. And it takes guts. From the beginning we can see they are going to give it their best. In the end, the audience gives them a standing ovation.
In particular, Ulysses Ayala, John Ybarra, Celise Batista, Charisse Leslie-Barrara, Cadence Bramlett, Giselle Bispago, Ivana Collozo, Natalia Fabian, Aydin Ramirez, Genisis Diaz, and Abby Barajas captured their characters extremely well.
The play was developed by Director Moises Kauffman, and the Tectonic Theatre Company, between 1998 and 1999. It presents the reaction of the community of Laramie, Wyoming to the 1998 murder of Mathew Shepard, a 21-year-old openly gay University of Wyoming student.
This is not a gay play. It’s more like Thornton Wilder’s “Our Town” (1938) set in Laramie in 1998 at the moment of a horrific act.
Mathew was lured from a bar, savagely beaten, robbed, tortured, set on fire while tied to a fence, and left alone on an extremely cold night. He died after being discovered the next day.
Matthew’s murder sparked a nation-wide conversation and debate about homophobia, gay rights, and hate crime legislation. In Laramie, it was also a media circus. This was a community in crisis.
“The Laramie Project” is an example of verbatim theatre and consists of the precise words spoken by individuals interviewed and recorded by the theatre company about the event between 1998 and 1999.
It is a chronological account of the events surrounding Shepard’s murder, from the interviews after his death to the trials of his accused killers. The play explores the community’s response to the murder, including the anger, bewilderment, and sorrow they felt. It also shows how the human spirit can triumph over bigotry and violence.
It is reported that the economy of the town is divided between those with well paying jobs at the University, and those with minimum wage jobs.
Aaron McKinney (Ulysses Ayala) is one of Mathew’s murderers. He admits he killed Matthew with Russell Henderson because Matthew allegedly tried to hit on him. He harbors intense feelings of homophobia. He’s a new father and has drug issues.
The other murderer is 19-year-old Russell Henderson (Ayden Ramirez), who is guilty of participating in Matthew’s murder, driving the truck in which Aaron McKinney beat Matthew and then tying him to the fence to die.
Aaron and Russell become a flashpoint for the town’s conversation surrounding violence, justice, punishment, and homophobia as the town debates whether they deserve the death penalty.
The Church of Latter Day Saints excommunicates Russell.
Dennis Shepard is Mathew’s father. The family rejects the death penalty as the best way to honor Matthew’s memory and ensure that the Laramie community can heal.
At one point he says, “Change is not an easy thing, and I don’t think people were up to it here… it’s been a year since Matthew died, and they haven’t passed anything at a state level, … nobody anywhere, has passed any kind of laws, anti-discrimination laws or hate crime legislation… What’s come out of it…that’s concrete or lasting?”
It took from 1998 to 2009 to pass the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Federal Hate Crimes Prevention Act. In 2023 the FBI continued to report an increase in hate crimes.
A hate crime involves violence and is motivated by prejudice on the basis of ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or similar grounds.
Aaron and Russell are sentenced to two consecutive life sentences for their crimes, and the play prominently discusses their trial.
“The Laramie Project” is one of the most frequently performed plays in America. The play has been performed in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand. It has been translated into 30 languages.
Stories like “The Laramie Project” continue to be relevant. They force us to confront our biases and consider the impact of hate crimes on a community. They also may also act as a catalyst for empathy and social change.