Producing “She Kills Monsters”

Rachel Matthews - Contributor

Following their production of Lillian Hellman’s The Children’s Hour last semester, the Bishop’s University drama department is gearing up for She Kills Monsters written by Qui Nguyen and directed by Nathania Bernabe and Jackie T. Hanlin, which will go into production on March 9. The play follows the story of Agnes Evans who, after losing her parents and younger sister Tilly to a car crash, discovers a Dungeons and Dragons module that Tilly left behind and plays it in order to come to terms with her sister’s passing.

Visiting Lennoxville from Vancouver, BC, where they founded their theatre company, Affair of Honor, Bernabe and Hanlin are looking to bring high level stage combat to the spotlight of Centennial Theatre. As a former student of Bishop’s University, Hanlin, in particular, is excited to be back and both are eager for the opportunity to “give back to a program that set [her] on her current path as an actor, writer, producer and fight choreographer.” When asked about why they started their company with such an emphasis on stage combat, they discussed their desire to see “stories about badass women” in a genre that is so male-dominated and to give all actors the necessary skills to keep themselves and others safe. Regarding their decision to put on She Kills Monsters specifically, Hanlin and Bernabe say they thought a university program was the ideal environment to put on a show that, in their words, is “fast, furious, and filled with monsters.” With just about four weeks until the show’s opening, the cast and crew are hard at work building sets, weapons, and costume pieces. All these elements of any production here at Bishop’s, though they may be designed by professionals, are built and created largely by students volunteering their time. Right now, they are hard at work bringing Kimira Reddy’s set design, Chengyen Boon’s costume design, and Elisabeth de Medeiros’s costume design to fruition. These creations include a geometric set inspired by the dice of Dungeons and Dragons, all kinds of monstrous creatures from the game and more.

With this being only the second year back to live performances after the COVID-19 pandemic, the cast and crew are buzzing with excitement. In 2020, Bishop’s Drama was getting ready to open their musical production of The Miracle Worker when the pandemic hit, and their show had to be cancelled. Last year, Bishop’s saw the return to live theatre with a fall production of Stephen Karam’s Speech & Debate, followed by Sandy Rustin’s Clue and Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins’s Everybody, which were in repertoire during the winter term, as well as Godspell, the first show performed on Centennial stage since the pandemic. She Kills Monsters will be the second play produced by the Bishop’s University drama department to be performed in Centennial Theatre since productions were shut down in the wake of COVID-19.